The Nigerian military has dismissed reports suggesting the existence of a permanent terrorist operational base in the South-West geopolitical zone, insisting that while criminal elements had carried out the school abductions in Oyo State, no entrenched terrorist structure currently existed in the region.
In a statement by Director of Defence Media Operations Major-General Michael Onoja, the Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede extended condolences to the families of victims and the people of Oyo State, describing the abduction of children from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area as a callous and reprehensible act that struck at the heart of every Nigerian.
The military said troops had made contact with the criminal elements two days earlier and had since reorganized to continue search and pursuit operations in forest corridors with full determination, working closely with local communities for credible human intelligence. It said earlier clearance operations in the Old Oyo National Park had significantly degraded criminal capacity in that corridor but that isolated criminal acts should not be conflated with structured insurgency.
Oluyede assured that the full weight of the armed forces was being brought to bear for the safe and unconditional return of every abducted victim, and urged Nigerians to remain calm and supportive of security agencies.
