The Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, has revealed that terrorists holding dozens of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State have threatened to kill the captives if troops attempt a military rescue.
Punch newspapers reported that Mr Musa disclosed this in a preview of an interview with News Central released on Wednesday ahead of the full broadcast scheduled for Friday.
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He said the abductors are using the schoolchildren as bargaining chips to pressure the government into releasing some of their commanders currently in military custody.
“For whatever reason, they are looking for leverage because we have some of their commanders with us and they feel taking these kids and holding them to ransom will make us release their commander,” he said.
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The identities of the terrorist commanders whose release the abductors are demanding were not immediately clear. However, PREMIUM TIMES understands that the abduction was carried out by Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction, which has previously pulled a similar tactic during the 2022 Kaduna train attack.
The group allegedly received ransom payments and secured the release of some of its members in exchange for some of the captives, although the government has denied paying any ransom.
Mr Musa said the kidnappers threatened to kill the children to stave off any rescue.
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“And now they’re threatening when we wanted to take action against them that if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids,” the defence minister added.
Mr Musa’s remarks come almost eight weeks after terrorists stormed three schools in Yawota and Ahoro-Esinle communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers during coordinated attacks on 15 May.
One of the abducted teachers was later killed in captivity, while security agencies have continued efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims.
The Defence Headquarters had earlier identified the attackers as “dislodged” members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS), the formal name of the Boko Haram faction.
It stated that the terrorists were displaced from their former strongholds by sustained military offensives and had moved into the Kainji-Old Oyo forest corridor. According to the military, the group carried out the school attacks after relocating from other parts of the country where troops had intensified operations against insurgents.
READ ALSO: Lawmakers ask Nigerian govt to halt rehabilitation of repentant terrorists
Military authorities also dismissed suggestions that the attacks indicated an entrenched terrorist base in the South-west, describing the incident as the action of a displaced terrorist cell rather than evidence that the region had become a new insurgency stronghold.
However, they maintained that troops were working with other security agencies and local authorities to dismantle the network responsible for the attacks.
Speaking further during the interview, Mr Musa advocated stiffer punishment for kidnappers and bandits, including the death penalty, arguing that existing laws have failed to deter violent criminals.
He said stronger sanctions would send a clear message that kidnapping and banditry carry severe consequences and help discourage others from engaging in such crimes.
Corroborating the military, Governor Seyi Makinde said the attack reflected a shift in the country’s security dynamics, arguing that sustained military offensives against terrorists and bandits in the North-west were forcing them to move southward.
He added that security operatives searching for the victims encountered improvised explosive devices planted by the attackers, leaving some personnel injured.
The governor also announced that six suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack, stressing that southern states must be prepared to repel or kill fleeing terrorists.
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