Fresh details have emerged about how security agents rescued 39 schoolchildren kidnapped from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state, and seven of their teachers.
They had spent around 56 days in terrorists’ den.
The students and teachers were rescued yesterday, following a joint operation involving personnel of the Nigerian Army and the police, backed by intelligence from the DSS.
Nine of the terrorists were killed during the rescue operation while eight others were arrested and are in DSS custody.
Premium Times reports that military personnel sabotaged food supply to the forest reserve where the terrorists were camping.
This, according to the source, made the group run out of supplies.
He added that some associates of the abductors who live outside their camps were also picked up by security forces. According to him, this weakened the negotiating strength of the terrorists.
In his reaction, President Bola Tinubu expressed profound joy at the successful rescue of the children and their teachers. He praised the heroic efforts of the security agencies, especially the military, the DSS and the police, for working round the clock in the last 56 days to secure the release of the abducted children and their teachers without any collateral damage and for arresting eight of the abductors and neutralising others.
The President regretted the anguish that the children and their teachers, as well as members of their families and the entire nation, have experienced since the sad occurrence. For cooperating with the Federal Government in all rescue efforts, Tinubu commended the Oyo State Government and charged it to ensure adequate security around schools across the state.
A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the president as saying; “I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Orire, Ogbomoso in Oyo State today after a military, police and intelligence-driven operation that neutralised some of the terrorists that perpetrated the evil act and the arrest of eight of them.
“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation and the affected families in particular. On behalf of the country, I express my gratitude to the officers and men of our armed forces, the intelligence agencies and the police for the safe rescue of the children and their teachers.
“My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered. I must commend the government of Oyo State for working cooperatively with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end,” the President said. He then directed that the emergency agencies work with the Oyo State Government to provide all necessary medical and relief support to the children and the teachers.
