The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, has explained why security agencies took 56 days to rescue pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, saying the delay was a deliberate strategy to protect the lives of the hostages and avoid collateral damage. He made the clarification during a press briefing on Thursday amid criticism over the length of the operation.
According to the IGP, the abductors attacked two schools in May 2026, seized dozens of pupils and teachers, and escaped into a forest after setting ablaze the vehicle belonging to one of the teachers. Disu said the terrain posed major operational challenges, including poor telecommunications coverage, limited road access and the absence of nearby security formations, making an immediate rescue operation extremely difficult.
He disclosed that the rescue mission involved personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, local vigilantes and other security agencies. Air surveillance using police and Air Force helicopters was conducted throughout the operation, while intelligence gathering and late-night strategy meetings guided the rescue effort. Disu revealed that one security operative was killed during the pursuit of the kidnappers, describing the mission as one that required enormous sacrifice and patience.
The police chief said authorities deliberately refrained from providing regular public updates because doing so could have alerted the kidnappers or jeopardised the safety of the victims. He stressed that although many Nigerians criticised the pace of the operation and compared it with security responses in other countries, the priority remained ensuring the captives were rescued alive rather than rushing into actions that could have resulted in fatalities.
The victims were eventually rescued after spending 56 days in captivity following a coordinated intelligence-led operation that dismantled parts of the kidnappers’ network. Disu said the successful rescue underscored the importance of patience, secrecy and inter-agency collaboration in complex hostage situations, while reaffirming the commitment of security agencies to protecting lives and bringing those responsible to justice.
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