Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has opened up about the immense challenges security agencies faced during the 56-day rescue operation that freed 44 pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, revealing that authorities came under intense public condemnation while carrying out the delicate mission. Speaking on Thursday, July 30, 2026, while hosting leadership delegations from the National Defence College and the Defence and Police Officers' Wives Association at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the police chief said the prolonged operation demanded patience, coordination, and restraint, and that hasty decisions could have endangered the lives of the victims.
Reflecting on the day of the attack, Disu recounted how the abductors struck on May 15, 2026, raiding two schools and using the vehicle of one of the head teachers to escape with their victims before setting it ablaze at the entrance of the forest. "That day, after students of the three schools were abducted, they used the vehicle of one of the head teachers. They set fire to the vehicle when they got to the entrance of the forest," he said. The IGP noted that the difficult terrain posed a major challenge to rescue efforts, as the area had virtually no communication network and limited security presence. "In that area, there is no network at all, at all. And I think even police station far, far, far, far from them. But they had only one street, one road that goes to the two villages where this kidnap happened," Disu said.
Despite these obstacles, Disu said security operatives—including the police, military, local vigilantes, and air support units—mounted an intensive pursuit of the kidnappers immediately after the attack. "Policemen, soldiers, and vigilantes came. We followed them. Somebody was even shot while we followed them. We kept chasing that day and night. The Nigerian Air Force and even the Police Air Wing were also there. It took time before we finally saw where they were," he recalled. He disclosed that one officer lost his life during the operation while tracking the attackers, and added that the sacrifice went largely unnoticed by the public. "Policemen came, soldiers came, vigilante came. They followed them, the path. Somebody was shot as we were following them. Nobody mentioned that. Nobody saw it. Nobody saw the effort we put in," he said.
The IGP said the prolonged operation attracted criticism from many Nigerians, who questioned the pace of the rescue mission. "Everybody was attacking us," he said, explaining that security agencies deliberately withheld operational details to avoid jeopardising the mission. "We could not come out and talk and expose those children," he added. He stressed that authorities were forced to navigate a difficult balance between public pressure and the safety of the hostages. "There is something we call collateral damage. People were comparing us to other nations. They wanted us to take hasty decisions," Disu said.
The police chief further revealed that numerous behind-the-scenes meetings and strategic engagements took place throughout the operation, although many of them could not be disclosed to the public. "Every night, your husband told you that he wanted to attend a meeting; it was true. A lot of things happened, but we cannot talk about it," he added. He said security officials held late-night meetings to decide the best way to rescue the victims while managing public pressure, and that even many security personnel were not fully briefed about the operation to ensure it remained confidential. "Most of this, we did not come back and even tell a lot of our colleagues because we wanted to keep it secret," Disu said.
The victims—pupils and teachers abducted from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities—were eventually rescued on July 10, 2026, after 56 days in captivity, following a coordinated, intelligence-led multi-agency operation involving the military, police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Office of the National Security Adviser, Amotekun, and local hunters. The rescue came at a heavy cost: two teachers lost their lives during the ordeal, and a police officer was killed in the line of duty.
Disu's remarks come as the federal government continues to face scrutiny over its handling of mass abductions, which have become a recurring feature of Nigeria's security crisis. While the successful rescue of the Oyo schoolchildren was widely celebrated, the 56-day delay raised uncomfortable questions about the capacity of security agencies to respond swiftly to such incidents, particularly in remote areas where communication infrastructure is poor and security presence is limited. The IGP's defence of the operation—framed as a careful, intelligence-driven effort to avoid collateral damage—offers a glimpse into the difficult trade-offs that security commanders must make in hostage situations, where the line between decisive action and reckless endangerment is often razor-thin.
For the families of the rescued victims, the 56-day ordeal is finally over, but the trauma lingers. For the officer who lost his life, and the two teachers who never made it home, the rescue came too late. And for the millions of Nigerians who watched the drama unfold, the IGP's revelation that "everybody was attacking us" serves as a reminder of the immense pressure that security agencies face—and the heavy price of getting it wrong. As Disu himself put it, "Nobody saw the effort we put in." Whether that effort was enough, and whether the lessons of Oriire will translate into faster, more effective responses in the future, remains an open question.
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