Nine Killed In Oyo Kidnap Victims’ Rescue Operation — DSS DG

Nine people, including four civilians and five security personnel, were killed during an operation to rescue pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo State, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Oluwatosin Ajayi, has disclosed.

Ajayi said the fatalities occurred during an immediate pursuit of the kidnappers and a subsequent raid on their hideout after security agencies received credible intelligence about the abduction.

According to the DSS chief, a vigilante member and a police officer were killed during the initial pursuit. Further deaths were recorded during the raid, bringing the total fatalities to nine.

He described the operation as complex because one victim was a two-and-a-half-year-old child who could not have escaped quickly during an assault.

The Oyo abduction occurred on May 15, when armed men attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area and abducted pupils and teachers. The victims were subsequently held for weeks before their rescue.

Ajayi said the group responsible was an international terrorist organisation with links to Al-Qaeda. He explained that some of its leaders had previously been arrested by the DSS and later sentenced to life imprisonment.

According to him, the detained kingpins were linked to the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and had allegedly planned additional kidnappings targeting foreigners, students, women and children.

He said the group sought recognition as a state and freedom to practise its religion within a designated territory.

Ajayi also raised concerns about misinformation circulated on social media during the rescue operation. He said videos purportedly showing children being tortured were falsely presented as real-time footage from Oyo, although they were old recordings from another country.

He urged media organisations and the public to verify information carefully during sensitive security operations, warning that misinformation could create fear and confusion while complicating efforts to rescue victims safely.

Ajayi stressed the importance of separating facts from fiction, noting that rescued victims had recounted that they were treated well by their captors.

The disclosure highlights the dangers faced during hostage-recovery operations, particularly when abductors operate from difficult terrain and victims include vulnerable children. It also underscores the importance of intelligence-led operations, careful planning and accurate public communication in combating terrorism and kidnapping across Nigeria.