Strong indications have emerged that pressure is mounting on the abductors of schoolchildren and teachers from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Security sources who spoke with Vanguard said a major intelligence breakthrough had enabled security agencies to identify members of the kidnapping gang and trace some of their associates across the country.
The development was said to have unsettled the abductors, who are now under intense psychological pressure after realising that operatives had established links to members of their support network.
This came as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, expressed confidence in the ongoing rescue operation.
Shaibu said troops were making steady progress towards securing the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
According to security sources, the breakthrough followed weeks of intelligence gathering by the Department of State Services (DSS), which enabled operatives to identify key members of the gang before launching coordinated operations to locate their associates.
The latest development came less than two weeks after security forces reportedly blocked the abductors’ escape routes and intensified surveillance around their suspected hideout in the National Park forest, where the victims are believed to be held.
“The kidnappers are becoming increasingly apprehensive. Their confidence has been shaken, and they are now showing greater willingness to release the children,” a source familiar with the operation said.
Another source said a joint team of DSS operatives and military personnel was steadily closing in on the kidnappers’ location.
The source expressed optimism that the operation would lead to the safe rescue of the hostages.
Thirty-nine pupils and seven teachers were abducted on May 15, 2026, during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esinle.
The abductors had initially demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders, ransom payment, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related laws as conditions for freeing the captives.
They specifically requested the release of Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also known as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri.
Both men were arrested by DSS operatives last year and have been identified by security agencies as senior members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram.
Security sources, however, said recent operational gains had forced the abductors to reconsider some of their initial demands as they focus on finding a way out while releasing the captives.
