• DSS, military close in on kidnappers
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Security agencies have recorded a major breakthrough in efforts to rescue the 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with intelligence operatives identifying and tracing associates of the kidnappers across different parts of the country.
The development, THISDAY was told, has unsettled the terrorists and increased prospects for the victims’ release, with the kidnappers softening their hard stance on the release of the schoolchildren and teachers.
The latest progress comes less than two weeks after security forces tightened the cordon around the abductors by blocking escape routes and surrounding their hideout in the National Park forest, where the victims are believed to be held.
Security sources said painstaking investigations, backed by credible intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS), led to the identification of members of the kidnapping gang and the subsequent tracing of several of their associates nationwide.
According to the sources, the discovery has rattled the abductors, who now realise that security agencies have penetrated their network and know the whereabouts of people considered critical to their operations.
“The kidnappers are becoming increasingly apprehensive. Their confidence has been shaken, and they are now showing greater willingness to release the children,” one of the sources said.
The sources added that a combined team of DSS operatives and military personnel continues to close in on the terrorists’ location, expressing optimism that the operation will soon end with the safe rescue of the hostages.
The victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, when armed terrorists attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Ahoro-Esinle and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area.
The kidnappers had initially demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related laws as conditions for freeing the victims.
Among those they sought to secure were Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, both identified by security agencies as senior members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, who were arrested by the DSS last year.
However, security sources said sustained pressure from the rescue operation has forced the abductors to abandon some of their earlier demands and instead focus on negotiating a safe escape while releasing the captives.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has expressed confidence that the rescue mission is making steady progress.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Shaibu said troops involved in the operation were advancing towards a successful conclusion.
“Operations are currently ongoing to rescue those children abducted in Oyo State, and we are making tremendous progress,” he said.
The army chief reiterated that the Nigerian Army remained committed to tackling insecurity across the six geopolitical zones, citing major gains against insurgents, bandits and oil thieves.
He disclosed that troops under Operation Hadin Kai had neutralised more than 1,872 insurgents in the North-East, while many others had surrendered. He also revealed that troops, working with United States partners, recently eliminated a senior Islamic State commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
Shaibu added that Operations Enduring Freedom, Whirlwind and the newly established Savannah Shield had strengthened security across the North-Central, particularly in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger and parts of Kogi states.
He said security had also improved in the South-East, while sustained operations against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism had contributed to increased oil production in the South-South.
Describing the South-west as one of the country’s most peaceful regions, Shaibu said the Oriire school abduction was an isolated incident.
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army Depot in Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State, which, alongside the existing depots in Zaria and Osogbo, is expected to raise the Army’s annual recruitment and training capacity to about 28,000 personnel.
According to him, the Army has also acquired additional armoured personnel carriers, mine-resistant vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles, while troops continue to undergo specialised training within and outside Nigeria to enhance operational effectiveness.