How Arrest Of Kidnappers’ Family Members Led To Rescue Of 39 Oyo Schoolchildren, 7 Teachers

Fresh details have emerged on how security forces rescued 39 schoolchildren and 6 teachers abducted from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The victims were kidnapped on May 15, 2026. One of the teachers was killed in captivity. The remaining 45 victims were rescued on July 10 during a coordinated operation involving the military and the Department of State Services, DSS.

According to multiple security sources, the arrest of the kidnappers’ wives and children proved to be the turning point in the weeks-long intelligence-led operation.

Family arrests break deadlock

After weeks of intelligence gathering, DSS operatives tracked down and arrested several wives and children of the kidnappers in different communities and cities across the country. The operation was coordinated by a senior DSS official after troops had already sealed off escape routes and surrounded the terrorists’ hideout inside the National Park forest.

The arrested family members were taken to Abuja for interrogation in line with investigative procedures, sources said.

In what sources described as a critical development, video recordings of the interrogations were leaked to the kidnappers.

“The kidnappers suddenly became more responsive. They abandoned their earlier hardline position and started making frequent contact instead of disappearing after making demands,” a security source said.

Investigators believe the arrests reduced the likelihood of harm to the hostages, as the abductors feared consequences for their own relatives.

Ransom, commander swap rejected

The terrorists initially demanded the release of two detained Ansaru commanders — Mahmud Usman, alias Abu Bara’a, and Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam — payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related laws. 

Both men are alleged leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram linked to Al Qaeda, and were arrested by the DSS last year.

They later proposed releasing the schoolchildren and teachers in exchange for their wives and guarantees of safe passage. Security agencies rejected the offer, insisting the captives must be released first and that the kidnappers should surrender or face arrest.

This stance aligns with *President Bola Tinubu’s new policy of not paying ransom or negotiating with terrorists*, sources said.

Final assault ordered

While negotiations continued, the joint force tightened the cordon around the hideout and engaged the terrorists in repeated gun battles to deplete their ammunition.

The final order to storm the camp was issued on Thursday night after fresh intelligence confirmed the hostages were no longer being used as human shields.

“When the final operation commenced, the resistance was significantly lower than anticipated because they had already been weakened,” a source said.

During the assault, scores of terrorists were killed and 8 others were arrested. Members of the rescue team suffered casualties, but all surviving schoolchildren and teachers were rescued safely.

Lessons from past negotiations

Security officials said the decision to go in with force, rather than prolong talks, was influenced by the case of *Maj. Gen. Abubakar Rabbe (retd)*, who died in captivity in Katsina after authorities opted for negotiations instead of a recommended military assault.

“The outcome reinforced the view that prolonged negotiations with heavily armed terrorist groups sometimes carry greater risks than carefully planned rescue operations backed by credible intelligence,” an official said.

What happens next

Investigations are ongoing. Security sources said children of the suspects who committed no offence would be released, while any wives found to have participated in the criminal activities would be prosecuted.

The rescue of the Oriire victims is being cited as one of the first major tests of the federal government’s no-ransom, no-negotiation policy against kidnappers and terrorist groups.