•Why terrorists’ proposed exchange was rejected
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS — FRESH details have emerged on the intelligence-led operation that culminated in the successful rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with security sources disclosing that the arrest of family members of the kidnappers proved to be a decisive turning point.
39 schoolchildren and seven teachers were abducted by terrorists on May 15, 2026.
While one of the teachers was killed in captivity, the remaining victims were rescued on July 10 during a coordinated operation involving the military and the Department of State Services, DSS.
According to security sources, after weeks of sustained intelligence gathering and military pressure, operatives of the DSS tracked down and arrested several wives and children of the kidnappers in different communities and cities across the country.
The operation, sources said, was coordinated by a senior DSS official after security forces had already sealed off the terrorists’ escape routes and surrounded their hideout inside the National Park forest.
‘’The family members were subsequently taken to Abuja, where the wives were interrogated in accordance with investigative procedures,’’ the sources said.
Terrorists’ proposed exchange rejected
Multiple security sources further disclosed that video recordings of the interrogations were somehow leaked to the kidnappers, a development that reportedly unsettled them and altered the course of negotiations.
“The kidnappers suddenly became more responsive. They abandoned their earlier hardline position and started making frequent contact instead of disappearing after making demands,” one source said.
According to the sources, the terrorists, thereafter, proposed releasing the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in exchange for the freedom of their wives and guarantees of safe passage.
Security agencies, however, rejected the proposal, insisting that the captives must first be released and that the kidnappers should surrender or face arrest or possible elimination during military operations.
Investigators believe the arrest of the terrorists’ family members reduced the likelihood that the abductors would harm the hostages, fearing possible consequences for their own relatives.
It was further gathered that just as contacts continued, the joint rescue force steadily tightened the cordon around the terrorists’ hideout.
Final order on rescue mission
A source familiar with the operation disclosed that the final order to storm the camp was issued on Thursday night after fresh intelligence reportedly confirmed that the abducted schoolchildren and teachers were no longer being used as human shields.
The assault, the source said, was swift, well coordinated and backed by overwhelming firepower, catching the terrorists off guard.
Multiple security sources added that in the weeks preceding the final assault, troops had engaged the terrorists in repeated gun battles designed to weaken their fighting capability and deplete their stock of ammunition.
“When the final operation commenced, the resistance was significantly lower than anticipated because they had already been weakened,” another source said.
During the operation, scores of terrorists were killed, while eight others were arrested.
Although members of the rescue team suffered casualties, all the surviving abducted schoolchildren and teachers were rescued safely.
Sources said the decision to launch the final assault, rather than prolong negotiations, was influenced by lessons learned from the abduction of Maj. Gen. Abubakar Rabbe, retd, in Katsina State.
According to the sources, the DSS had earlier recommended a military assault on the kidnappers’ hideout after concluding that such an operation offered the best chance of rescuing the retired general and his wife.
However, the recommendation was reportedly not adopted because authorities hoped negotiations would secure their release.
Gen. Rabbe later died in captivity, reportedly following a medical condition.
Security officials said 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.
With the successful rescue of the Oriire victims and the arrest of some of the suspected kidnappers, investigations are continuing.
Security sources said children of the suspects who had committed no offence would be released, while any of their wives found to have actively participated in the criminal activities would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Multiple security sources revealed the arrest of terrorists’ family members in line with President Bola Tinubu’s new policy of not paying ransom or negotiating with terrorists.
Kidnappers’ demands
The kidnappers had initially demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related laws as conditions for freeing the victims.
They specifically requested 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 men are identified by security agencies as leaders of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram linked to Al Qaeda, and were arrested by DSS operatives last year.
