Yesterday, Nigerian security forces achieved the unconditional release of kids and teachers seized by suspected Ansaru terrorists from the old Oyo National Park woodland following a concerted joint military operation that lasted about two months.
The victims were rescued around 6pm on Thursday, a statement on the operation said, but the security report did not say how many had been freed.
The Nation says that they have now been handed over to the Oyo State administration for medical assessment and emotional care before being reunited with their families.
The kidnapping
The statement accused the Ansaru terrorist group operating from the Oyo forest, which it called the group’s main sanctuary in the region, of abducting the kids and their teachers in Oyo State on May 15, 2026.
The answer
The Chief of Defence Staff in concert with the Service Chiefs and heads of other security agencies set up a Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) to ensure the safe return of the victims, in what was portrayed as a direct presidential directive, according to the article.
The task force reportedly included elite elements of the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service, the 2 Division Garrison of the Nigerian Army and a specialised tactical unit mobilised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Support was provided by the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Defence Intelligence Agency and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Responsibility for overall co-ordination of the operation was given to the General Officer Commanding 2 Division.
Operation
Over a three-week period troops penetrated into the forest on several axes, slowly squeezing the terrorists’ mobility and confining them into a small area, the security assessment said.
The ground manoeuvre was supported by sustained Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) support from ONSA assets, and close air support from the Air Force and the police, it was reported.
The operation led to the destruction of communication nodes and supply stockpiles utilised by the terrorists, the report said. It said all important landmarks in the operative area were eventually taken, crippling the group’s command structure, with no damage coming to the hostages.
Security authorities reportedly also conducted simultaneous operations against the group’s support network, arresting accused associates, informants and facilitators in towns around the forest, and holding family members of purported Ansaru operatives elsewhere in the country. This caused a wave of defections, with most of the terrorists abandoning their leader and the enclave, the report said.
Launch
The combination of the military campaign, disruption of the group’s logistics and communications and reported collapse of internal cohesion within the group led to the unconditional release of the children and teachers on July 8, sources said. The operation itself was said to have ended on Thursday, July 9.
The operation was an example of intelligence-driven collaborative action, the newspaper quoted senior military officials as saying, and the integration of combat and non-combat measures was vital in bringing the siege to a conclusion without harm to the detainees.
Tinubu responds
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the release of the prisoners, yesterday evening, saying President Bola Tinubu expressed “profound joy” at the successful rescue of the children and instructors.
He said the president saluted the heroic efforts of the security agencies, especially the military, the DSS and the police for working round the clock in the last 56 days to secure the release of the abducted children and their teachers without any collateral damage and for arresting eight of the kidnappers and neutralising others.
President Tinubu expressed his regret for the pain the children and their teachers, members of their families and the entire nation had suffered since the tragic incident.
Onanuga said President Tinubu congratulated the Oyo State government for co-operating with the federal government in all rescue operations and directed it to establish appropriate protection around schools across the state.
“I am very happy that our security forces were able to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire, Ogbomoso in Oyo State today after a military, police and intelligence driven operation that neutralised some of the terrorists that perpetrated the evil act and the arrest of eight of them.
This successful military operation to end the siege and the stand-off of more than 50 days has been a relief to the entire country and the families impacted in particular.
“I would like to thank the officers and men of our military forces, intelligence services and police for the safe rescue of the children and their teachers on behalf of the country.
My government will provide justice for these children and their teachers, and for the family of Mr Oyedokun who was gruesomely killed by the terrorists.
“I must commend the Oyo State government for working with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end,” the president added.
President Tinubu has also asked the emergency authorities to liaise with the Oyo State administration to offer all required medical and humanitarian support to the children and the teachers.
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