The Presidency has revealed that eight kidnappers involved in the abduction of pupils and teachers in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been arrested, while several others were neutralised during the rescue operation.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a follow-up post on his verified X account on Friday, shortly after announcing the successful rescue of the victims.
According to Onanuga, the rescue was carried out without any concession to the kidnappers, stressing that no ransom or prisoner exchange was made to secure the victims’ freedom.
He also clarified that the terrorist kingpin whose release was demanded by the abductors remains in custody and is currently being prosecuted for terrorism-related offences.
“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,” Onanuga wrote.
“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.”
He added that security agencies would provide a detailed account of the operation in due course.
The pupils and teachers had spent weeks in captivity after gunmen attacked three schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Orire Local Government Area on May 15. During the attack, one teacher was killed, while another was later beheaded in captivity, an incident that sparked widespread outrage across the country.
