Security forces have effectively surrounded a hideout within a National Park forest area where 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted from communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State are believed to be held, significantly narrowing the movement and options available to their captors while the terrorists, facing mounting operational pressure, have reportedly abandoned most of their original demands and are now concentrating their leverage on extracting a ransom payment.
Competent security sources said troops involved in the rescue operation had blocked likely escape routes from the forest and were restricting the freedom of movement of the armed group holding the victims, who were kidnapped on May 15 when terrorists attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esinle communities in one of the most brazen assaults on educational institutions in the state’s recent history.
The kidnappers had initially presented four demands, including the release of two named senior members of the Ansaru terrorist group held in DSS custody, the payment of ransom, the provision of two Hilux vehicles, and the implementation of Sharia-related legal frameworks. As security forces tightened their cordon, those demands have reportedly narrowed to ransom alone, though sources said the terrorists also killed one of the abducted teachers in what appeared to be an attempt to blackmail the authorities and force a suspension of rescue operations.
Community sources identified the gang leader as a local individual who had lived peacefully in the area before allegedly being radicalized by Ansaru and embracing violent extremism. Investigators noted that the affected communities lay close to border corridors toward Niger Republic and the Kainji axis, terrain characterized by difficult topography and poor telecommunications coverage that historically complicated security operations.
Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, marking his 84th birthday, called on Nigerians to support security agencies rather than politicize the crisis, warning that propaganda and misinformation had emboldened terrorist groups and undermined national efforts against them. He said the fight against terror was not one security agencies could win alone and that every citizen had a stake in its outcome.
