The Defense Headquarters (DHQ) has stated that the recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists displaced from other parts of the country following intensified military operations.
The military high command declared this on Thursday in response to what it described as “mischievous and misleading publications” about comments attributed to the defense headquarters regarding the classification of terrorists and criminal groups operating in the South-West.
According to a statement issued by Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations, the perpetrators behind the Oyo kidnapping were members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad terrorist group, which had been displaced by persistent military offensives across the country.
“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement read.
The DHQ refuted reports that it referred to terrorists working in the South West as ordinary criminals, stating that such interpretations were false and misleading.
“It is, therefore, inaccurate and misleading to suggest that the defense headquarters, at any point, referred to vicious and violent terrorists as criminals,” Onoja stated.
The military clarified security developments in the South-West to provide an intelligence-based context and prevent unnecessary panic among residents.
They also emphasized their commitment to constitutional governance and democratic institutions.
Oyo denies rescue of abducted students, teachers
Police deny rescue of abducted Oyo teachers, students
“At no time did the defense headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement added.
The DHQ also stated that troops remained actively deployed across affected areas, working with other security agencies and local partners to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks that threatened national peace and stability.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability, and unity of the nation,” the statement said.
The clarification came in the wake of recent attacks on villages in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, in which armed terrorists abducted students, teachers, and other people from Ahoro-Esinle Community High School.
The incident also claimed the lives of other people, including Michael Oyedokun, one of the abducted instructors, who was later slain after a video of the attack leaked online.
