Fresh details have emerged on the intelligence-driven operation that led to the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with security sources revealing that the arrest of relatives of the suspected kidnappers played a significant role in the operation.
Naijaonpoint recall that the victims, comprising 39 pupils and seven teachers from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities, were abducted by armed men on May 15, 2026.
One of the teachers was reportedly killed while in captivity, but the remaining hostages regained their freedom on July 10 following a joint operation involving the military and the Department of State Services.
Security sources who spoke with Vanguard disclosed that weeks of intelligence gathering and sustained military operations enabled operatives to identify and apprehend some wives and children of the suspected kidnappers in different parts of the country.
According to the sources, the operation was coordinated by a senior DSS official after security agencies had tightened surveillance around the terrorists’ hideout inside the National Park forest and blocked possible escape routes.
“The family members were subsequently taken to Abuja, where the wives were interrogated in accordance with investigative procedures,” one of the sources said.
The sources further claimed that video recordings of the interrogations later found their way to the kidnappers, a development that reportedly influenced their disposition during negotiations.
According to the sources, the abductors, who had earlier maintained a hardline position, became more willing to engage security operatives after the recordings surfaced.
“The kidnappers suddenly became more responsive. They abandoned their earlier hardline position and started making frequent contact instead of disappearing after making demands,” a security source said.
The sources alleged that the kidnappers subsequently proposed exchanging the abducted pupils and teachers for the release of their wives, while also seeking guarantees of safe passage.
The proposal was, however, rejected by security agencies, which insisted that the victims must first be released.
According to the sources, the security agencies maintained that the kidnappers would either surrender peacefully or face arrest or possible military action.
Investigators were said to believe that the detention of the suspects’ relatives reduced the likelihood of the hostages being harmed, as the abductors became increasingly concerned about the safety of their own family members.
The sources added that while contacts with the kidnappers continued, security forces intensified operations around the forest where the victims were being held.
According to them, the joint rescue team gradually tightened the security cordon around the hideout, increasing pressure on the abductors before the eventual rescue of the remaining captives.
The rescued pupils and teachers have since been reunited with government officials and are receiving medical and psychosocial support after spending more than 50 days in captivity.
