After 57 days in the grip of terror, 44 pupils and teachers snatched from Oriire LGA, Oyo State, are free. The Nigerian Army says it was a relentless wave of arrests that broke the kidnappers and forced them to surrender their hostages unconditionally.
The May 15 abduction ended in the forest on July 10, when the terror cell buckled under a month-long intelligence siege. Acting Deputy Director, 2 Division Army Public Relations, Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, revealed Friday that the operation was spearheaded by Major General C.R. Nnebeife, GOC of the division.
This was no lone mission. Troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force hunted alongside operatives from the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Defence Headquarters, DSS, NIA, Police, NSCDC, Amotekun, local vigilantes and hunters. Their target: the kingpins, informants, logistics runners and forest hideouts feeding the kidnapping ring across the Old Oyo National Park and beyond.
“Multiple arrests were made within Oyo State and in other locations across some States in the Country,” the Army said.
Those arrests ripped the group apart.
“These arrests completely disorganized the group, exerted overwhelming pressure on them and ultimately led the terrorist group to unconditionally release the pupils and teachers.”
But victory came at a cost. The Army confirmed casualties among its ranks, though the operation was “carefully planned to ensure the safe rescue of the victims while avoiding collateral damage.”
The freed pupils and teachers are now under medical care at an undisclosed hospital, ahead of reunion with their families through the Oyo State Government.
The hunt isn’t over. The Army vowed further operations to capture fleeing members of the shattered cell.
General Nnebeife thanked President Bola Tinubu for “strategic guidance and support,” and praised Governor Seyi Makinde for backing security forces throughout the mission. Commendations also went to NSA Nuhu Ribadu, Defence Minister Christopher Musa, CDS Olufemi Oluyede, COAS Waidi Shaibu, IGP Olatunji Disu, and the heads of DSS and NIA for coordination.