The Presidency has shared more details about the rescue of the pupils and teachers kidnapped in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
It said eight suspected kidnappers were arrested during the operation and are now in the custody of the Department of State Services. Some other members of the group were neutralised.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a follow-up post on his verified X account on Friday after announcing that the victims had been freed.
According to Onanuga, no concession was made to the terrorists to secure the release of the pupils and teachers.
He said the kingpin whose freedom the kidnappers demanded was neither released nor given any special treatment. He remains on trial for offences linked to terrorist activities.
He wrote, “Updated: 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.
“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. The security agencies will give full account soon.”
Onanuga also said security agencies would soon give a full account of how the operation was carried out.
The pupils and teachers had spent weeks in captivity after gunmen attacked three schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities of the local government area on May 15. During the attack, a teacher was killed, while another was later beheaded in a video that caused nationwide outrage.
