President Bola Tinubu said on Friday that some of the terrorists who kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oyo State were killed during the successful rescue operation. The president also said at least eight of the terrorists were also arrested.
Mr Tinubu said he was “profoundly happy” with the successful rescue operation.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the students and their teachers were released on Friday, 10 July, ending a 56-day standoff that began when terrorists seized the victims on 15 May.
Sources familiar with the matter told our reporter that the abductees were freed following an operation by security forces from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), State Security Service (SSS, also known as DSS), the Nigerian Army, the police and other security agencies.
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In a statement issued by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the president praised “the heroic efforts” of the security agencies for freeing the captives.
“I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Orire, 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,” Mr Tinubu was quoted as saying.
“On behalf of the country, I express my gratitude to the officers and men of our armed forces, the intelligence agencies, and the police,” the president added.
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While celebrating the safe return of the hostages, the president acknowledged the deep anguish experienced by the victims, their families, and the nation.
He vowed that his administration would bring the perpetrators to full justice.
“My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered,” he said.
President Tinubu commended the Oyo State Government for its close cooperation with the federal government throughout the 56-day ordeal.
“I must commend the government of Oyo State for working cooperatively with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end,” the president said.
Mr Tinubu has also directed that the emergency agencies work with the Oyo State Government to provide all necessary medical and relief support to the children and the teachers.
A crisis getting worse under Tinubu
Mass abduction of students started in Nigeria in 2014 with the kidnapping of over 200 students from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok, Borno State.
So far, more than 2,300 students and their teachers have been kidnapped since that year. However, the crisis is getting worse under President Tinubu.
Data compiled and analysed by PREMIUM TIMES shows that the mass school abduction crisis has worsened under President Tinubu.
READ ALSO: Police speak on release of kidnapped Oyo pupils, teachers
Although his administration marked three years in office on 29 May, it has already recorded 13 mass school kidnapping incidents involving 674 students and staff, compared to three incidents involving at least 120 students during the first three years of his immediate predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
The difference shows an increase of about 461.7 per cent.
The Oyo incident happened around the same period as the abduction of 42 students from Mussa Primary and Secondary School in Borno State.
Barely a month after, terrorists abducted students preparing to sit the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. Although the military rescued some students, about 3l remain missing.
In all, about 77 Borno students remain in captivity.
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