Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has revealed the challenges security agencies faced during the 56-day operation to rescue pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, saying authorities came under intense public criticism while carefully executing the mission.
Disu disclosed this on Thursday while receiving leadership delegations from the National Defence College (NDC) and the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association (DEPOWA) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Recounting the rescue operation, the IGP said the mission required patience, coordination and tactical restraint, stressing that any hasty action could have endangered the lives of the victims.
“That day, after students of the three schools were abducted, the kidnappers used the vehicle of one of the head teachers. They later set the vehicle ablaze at the entrance to the forest,” he said.
Disu explained that the difficult terrain and poor communication network significantly hampered rescue efforts.
“There is no network at all in that area. Even the police station is far from there. There is only one road leading to the location where the kidnappers took the victims,” he said.
According to him, security operatives—including the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, local vigilantes, the Nigerian Air Force and the Police Air Wing—launched an intensive pursuit of the kidnappers immediately after the attack.
“Policemen, soldiers and vigilantes mobilised immediately. We pursued them relentlessly. One of our personnel was even shot during the operation. We continued the chase day and night. The Nigerian Air Force and the Police Air Wing also joined the operation. It took time before we eventually located them,” he recalled.
The police chief said the prolonged operation attracted widespread criticism from members of the public, many of whom questioned why the victims had not been rescued sooner.
“Everybody was attacking us. We could not come out and explain everything because doing so would have exposed the children and compromised the operation,” he said.
Disu explained that security agencies deliberately withheld operational details to prevent jeopardising the rescue mission.
“There is something we call collateral damage. People compared us with other countries and wanted us to take hasty decisions, but we had to prioritise the safety of the victims,” he added.
READ ALSO: DSS Charges Borno Youth Leader Kaigama With Allegedly Funding ISWAP, Boko Haram
The IGP further disclosed that several strategic meetings and intelligence-driven engagements took place throughout the operation, although many of the details could not be made public.
“Every night, when your husband told you he was attending a meeting, it was true. A lot happened behind the scenes, but we cannot disclose everything,” he said.
Gunmen had attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, abducting pupils, students and teachers.
The victims regained their freedom on July 10 after a 56-day intelligence-led multi-agency rescue operation involving the military, police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Amotekun Corps and local hunters.
