‘Associates of Oriire schoolchildren abductors nabbed’

Security operatives have arrested associates of the gunmen who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, in what sources described as a major breakthrough in efforts to reunite the victims with their families. Armed terrorists abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers on May 15, 2026, during coordinated attacks […]

Security operatives have arrested associates of the gunmen who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, in what sources described as a major breakthrough in efforts to reunite the victims with their families.

Armed terrorists abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers on May 15, 2026, during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area.

Sources familiar with the operation told Daily Trust yesterday that the arrests followed weeks of intelligence gathering by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), which helped identify members of the kidnapping network and those providing them with support.

According to the sources, the suspects were picked up from different parts of the country and are assisting investigators.

“The pressure is mounting on the abductors because they now know that some of the people linked to them have been identified and apprehended. This has affected their confidence and is influencing ongoing negotiations,” one of the sources said.

The source added that the kidnappers, who had earlier insisted on a string of conditions for releasing the victims, were beginning to soften their stance as security operations intensified.

The abductors initially demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles, among other conditions, before freeing the victims.

“It is true that terrorists specifically sought the release of Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, both senior members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru) currently in DSS custody,” the source said.

The source said that the recent arrest of the associates of the terrorists had forced them to scale back some of their demands as they focused more on finding a safe exit from the situation.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, at the weekend, said troops were making steady progress in efforts to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers.

He expressed confidence that the victims would be rescued safely.

Sources further disclosed that security forces have also tightened surveillance around the kidnappers’ hideout in the National Park forest, blocking possible escape routes as a combined team of DSS operatives and military personnel continues to close in on the group.