The Federal Government has dismissed speculation that it negotiated with terrorists to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo State, but declared instead that security operatives arrested eight suspects during the rescue operation while several others were killed.
The clarification came on Friday as the Presidency sought to explain how the victims regained their freedom after spending weeks in captivity during the widespread public concern over whether the government had bowed to the kidnappers’ demands.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the operation ended with significant gains for security agencies and without any concession to the abductors.
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Providing an update after earlier announcing the victims’ release, Onanuga disclosed that the suspected kidnappers arrested during the operation are now in the custody of the Department of State Services.
Onanuga said in a statement posted on his verified X account, “In the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in DSS custody, while some of them were neutralised.”
His clarification addresses one of the biggest questions that followed Thursday’s announcement of the victims’ freedom, namely whether the government had exchanged detained suspects or made other concessions to secure their release.
Onanuga stood on the fact that no such arrangement took place.
He stated, “There was no quid pro quo in the rescue as one of the terrorists, a kingpin, that the kidnappers demanded his release, is being prosecuted for his atrocities.”
According to him, the alleged kingpin are still in custody despite the kidnappers’ demand. This serves as a pointer to what the Presidency described as the government’s refusal to negotiate away criminal prosecutions in exchange for hostages.
The Presidency said security agencies would soon provide a comprehensive account of how the rescue operation was planned and executed.
Onanuga added, “The security agencies will give full account soon.”
The latest disclosure sheds light on an abduction that triggered national outrage after gunmen attacked three schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15.
Recall, during the attack, a teacher was reportedly killed, while pupils and other teachers were taken into the surrounding forests. Days later, another teacher was beheaded, with the killing captured in a video that circulated widely and heightened public anxiety over the safety of the remaining captives.
The incident renewed concerns about the growing vulnerability of schools to armed attacks despite repeated government assurances that security had improved.
The Friday’s update from the Presidency is significant because it marks the first official indication that the rescue operation produced arrests rather than ending solely with the recovery of the victims.
It also seeks to reinforce the Federal Government’s longstanding position that it does not reward or bargain with terrorist groups.
Even though Onanuga did not disclose how the number of kidnappers that were killed during the operation or provide details of where the arrests took place, his statement suggests that the rescue involved coordinated security action rather than a negotiated settlement.
The Presidency also withheld operational details, apparently pending a formal briefing by the security agencies involved.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has not yet issued a separate statement on the arrests, while other security agencies participating in the operation are also expected to present a fuller account of the rescue.
The successful recovery of the pupils and teachers ends weeks of uncertainty for their families and communities but is unlikely to end broader questions about school security and the continuing threat posed by kidnapping gangs operating across parts of the country.
As it stands now, attention is expected to shift to the criminal investigation, with the eight suspects in DSS custody likely to provide investigators with intelligence on the network behind one of the most disturbing school abductions recorded in Oyo State this year.
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