Nigeria: Oyo School kidnapping: Security forces close in as intelligence breakthrough shakes abductors

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

LAGOS — Pressure is mounting on the gang that abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, after security agencies recorded a major intelligence breakthrough and began tracing members of the kidnappers’ support network across the country.

The abduction happened on May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, and two other schools in Ahoro-Esinle and Alawusa communities. The attackers took 46 people in coordinated raids and fled into the forest.

According to officials familiar with the operation, weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering by the Department of State Services, DSS, helped identify key members of the gang. In the last two weeks, security forces also blocked major escape routes and tightened surveillance around a suspected hideout inside the National Park forest, where the victims are believed to be held.

The new intelligence has allowed a joint team of DSS operatives and military personnel to track some of the abductors’ associates in different parts of Nigeria. 

“The kidnappers are becoming increasingly apprehensive,” a security source told Vanguard. “Their confidence has been shaken, and they are now showing greater willingness to release the children.”

Another source said the team is “steadily closing in” on the kidnappers’ location and expressed optimism that the operation would end with the safe rescue of all hostages.

The abductors initially made sweeping demands. They asked for the release of two detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, two Hilux vehicles, and the implementation of Sharia-related laws.

The two men named were Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri. Both were arrested by DSS operatives last year and have been identified by security agencies as senior members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan, Ansaru — a breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

However, security sources say recent gains on the ground have forced the gang to reconsider. With their logistics and communication lines under pressure, the focus for the abductors now appears to be finding a way out while negotiating the release of the captives.

Speaking at the weekend during an interactive session with media executives in Port Harcourt as part of the 2026 Nigerian Army Day Celebration, NADCEL, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, confirmed that troops were actively involved in the rescue.

“Operations are currently ongoing to rescue those children abducted in Oyo State, and we are making tremendous progress,” Gen. Shaibu said.

He described the South-West as one of the country’s most peaceful regions, and called the Oyo school abduction an isolated incident.

Some retired senior military officers welcomed the reported breakthrough but urged caution in how much is made public while the operation is still ongoing.

Maj. Gen. Eniola Gbadamosi, retd, said identifying and tracing the kidnappers’ associates had put the criminal network on the defensive. 

“If security agencies have indeed identified and located members of the kidnappers’ support network, that is a major operational advantage,” he said. “Criminal groups rely heavily on logistics, communication and local collaborators. Once those networks are disrupted, they become vulnerable, make mistakes and are more likely to release their captives.”

Gbadamosi, however, warned against premature celebration. “The priority must remain the safe return of the children and their teachers. Intelligence-led operations are usually more effective than direct confrontation in situations like this.”

A retired Brigadier General, who asked not to be named, said the progress showed growing synergy between the military, DSS and other agencies. 

“Modern counter-kidnapping operations are driven by intelligence rather than brute force,” he said. “The fact that security agencies have reportedly identified the kidnappers’ associates suggests they are gradually dismantling the network behind the crime.”

But another retired Brigadier General from the North cautioned that publicizing details too early could backfire. 

“While the reported intelligence breakthrough is encouraging, operational details should be handled with extreme caution,” he said. “Such disclosures could signal to the kidnappers that they have been compromised, prompting them to relocate the hostages, alter their plans or frustrate the operation.”

He stressed that surprise remains critical. “The cardinal principle in operations of this nature is surprise. You take the criminals by surprise, conclude the operation successfully and only afterwards disclose the strategy that led to the breakthrough.”

For now, security agencies appear to be prioritizing quiet, intelligence-driven pressure over a direct assault. The goal, officials say, is to weaken the gang’s support system until releasing the children becomes their safest option.

Families of the 39 pupils and seven teachers have been waiting since mid-May. With escape routes blocked and associates being tracked, security sources believe the abductors’ options are shrinking.

The ultimate test, as one retired officer put it, “will be the safe rescue of every child and teacher.”