A former Assistant Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mohammed Ngoshe, has disclosed that security forces compelled the kidnappers of Oriire Local Government Area pupils and teachers in Oyo State to release their victims after surrounding their hideout and disrupting their support network.
Ngoshe, who spoke on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, commended the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies for the successful rescue operation, urging Nigerians to recognise the efforts behind the mission.
He also rejected criticism over the limited information released by authorities during the operation, saying attention should instead be focused on the successful recovery of the victims.
“After all, the thing has now become a matter of public interest, so it is not going to be swept under the carpet for whatever reason, but I think the time is not right for all these kinds of comments to be made on the operation.
“I think we should be eulogising the state services and other security services for doing what they have done and doing it very well,” Ngoshe said.
Explaining the strategy used by security operatives, the retired DSS official said the forces effectively isolated the kidnappers’ location, cut off their access to supplies and dismantled the network of informants supporting them.
He said the pressure created by the security operation left the criminals searching for a solution, as their attempts to secure a way out failed.
“Now the problem, to them (the terrorists), was how to resolve the matter amicably. Amicably in the sense that they wanted a lifeline, and that lifeline did not come because the security forces did not accede to it,” he said.
Ngoshe said security personnel surrounded the area where the kidnappers were located and maintained control over the surrounding communities.
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“There was a congregation of security forces, and positions were taken after the location was isolated. And the whole community around that place was dominated.
“They (terrorists) were denied access to food. They were denied access to weapons. Their informants were taken out and used as assets.
“Videos of all these operations were ferried to them, and they saw that they had no option but to surrender,” he stated.
He further revealed that three security personnel lost their lives after stepping on improvised explosive devices (IEDs) while troops advanced towards the kidnappers’ location.
“It was in the process of closing in on them after they were encircled that the three forces from the police, army, and other security services that were lost through IED — they marched on IED and they were killed,” He added.
According to Ngoshe, the kidnappers eventually released the abducted pupils and teachers after realising they could not withstand the pressure from security forces.
He stated, “So getting to the level where they were to be annihilated completely, they gave out the children thinking that that will resolve the matter. After the children were successfully resolved, the Forces engaged them.”
The rescue operation followed the abduction of pupils and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, which prompted a coordinated response involving various security agencies.