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Pressure is mounting on the abductors of schoolchildren and teachers from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State following a major breakthrough by security agencies, which have reportedly identified and traced the kidnappers’ associates.
The latest development comes barely two weeks after security forces tightened the noose around the abductors by blocking their escape routes and surrounding their hideout in the National Park forest, where the victims are believed to be held.
Security sources disclosed that after painstaking investigations, operatives, acting on credible intelligence provided by the Department of State Services (DSS), identified members of the kidnapping gang and subsequently launched operations to trace their associates.
According to the sources, operatives have successfully located associates of several members of the gang in different parts of the country.
The discovery is said to have unsettled the abductors, who are now reportedly under intense psychological pressure after realising that security agencies know the whereabouts of their key associates.
“The kidnappers are becoming increasingly apprehensive. Their confidence has been shaken, and they are now showing greater willingness to release the children,” a security source familiar with the operation said.
The sources added that while the abductors remain confused about the implications for their associates, a combined team of DSS operatives and military personnel is steadily closing in on their location and is optimistic that the standoff will soon end with the safe rescue of the hostages.
Armed terrorists abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers on May 15, 2026, during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esinle.
The kidnappers initially demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of a ransom, the provision of two Hilux vehicles and the implementation of Sharia-related laws as conditions for freeing the victims.
They specifically demanded the release of Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, both identified by security agencies as senior members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimeena Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram. The two were arrested by DSS operatives last year.
However, security sources said recent gains by the rescue team have forced the abductors to abandon some of their earlier demands and shift their focus to finding a way to escape while releasing the captives.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has confirmed that troops are making significant progress in the ongoing rescue operation.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Port Harcourt over the weekend, Shaibu said operations to rescue the abducted schoolchildren and teachers were advancing steadily.
“Operations are currently ongoing to rescue those children abducted in Oyo State, and we are making tremendous progress,” he said.
The Army Chief expressed confidence that the operation would end with the safe rescue of the victims, adding that the Nigerian Army remained fully engaged in combating security threats across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
Highlighting recent operational successes, Shaibu said troops under Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East had neutralised more than 1,872 insurgents, while many others had surrendered.
He also disclosed that troops, working with United States partners, recently eliminated high-profile Islamic State commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
The Army Chief added that Operations Enduring Freedom, Whirlwind and the newly established Savannah Shield had continued to record successes across the North-Central, improving security in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kwara, Niger and parts of Kogi states.
According to him, security has also improved considerably in the South-East, while sustained operations against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalism have boosted Nigeria’s oil production in the South-South.
Shaibu described the South-West as one of the country’s most peaceful regions, noting that the recent school abduction in Oyo State was an isolated incident.
He further revealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the establishment of a new Nigerian Army Depot in Amasiri-Edda, Ebonyi State, which, alongside the existing depots in Zaria, Kaduna State, and Osogbo, Osun State, is expected to increase the Army’s annual recruitment and training capacity to about 28,000 personnel.
The Army Chief also announced that the Nigerian Army had acquired additional armoured personnel carriers, mine-resistant vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles to strengthen ongoing operations, while troops continue to receive specialised training both within Nigeria and abroad to enhance their operational effectiveness.
