Boko Haram terrorists who abducted pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been trapped inside the Oyo National Park, 36 days after the May 15 attacks, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.
It was gathered that the terrorists, who are members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad, which is the formal name of Boko Haram, have intensified efforts to frustrate the rescue operation by planting Improvised Explosive Devices and frequently changing locations within the forest.
Sources familiar with the operation disclosed that the terrorists have also orchestrated attacks in other parts of the country as a deliberate strategy to divert attention and stretch security resources deployed for the rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that despite mounting pressure from troops and other security operatives deployed in the forest, the terrorists have continued to fiercely resist rescue efforts, with the operation already claiming the lives of some soldiers.
The pupils and teachers were abducted on May 15 from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; L.A. Primary School; and Community Grammar School, Esiele.
No fewer than 42 pupils and teachers, including a principal, were taken during the attacks.
One of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was killed the following day by the terrorists in a bid to deter security operatives from advancing closer.
Meanwhile, the terrorists have reportedly demanded the release of two of their commanders in exchange for the abducted pupils and teachers.
The terror commanders are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri, also known as Mallam Mamuda.
However, the government has maintained that it will not negotiate with the terrorists and has vowed to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers.
Terrorists trapped, plant IEDs
However, security operatives familiar with the rescue operation told Saturday PUNCH that all possible exit routes from the forest had been manned by soldiers, making it difficult for the terrorists to move their victims out.
Saturday PUNCH also gathered that soldiers trying to flush out the terrorists have come under attack on two occasions, resulting in the deaths of at least three personnel.
One security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the forest’s difficult terrain and the terrorists’ tactics had slowed down the operation.
“They have planted IEDs everywhere and our men are exploring professional methods to navigate the difficult areas,” the source said.
“Some soldiers have been killed in the operation. There have been shootouts on two occasions. The military lost three personnel in those shootouts. Just two weeks ago, two soldiers were killed in the forest. That has really slowed down the operation, but we are not relenting.”
The source added that the terrorists change location almost every day to evade capture.
“They know they are being monitored and that security operatives are everywhere. So, they move their victims from one place to another. But they can’t leave the forest. They have been surrounded,” he said.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had earlier confirmed that some soldiers died during the ongoing rescue efforts.
While addressing protesters on Tuesday, the governor said, “We have lost men, even soldiers and officers. I can confirm to you that a lieutenant in the Nigerian Army was killed two days ago.”
Terrorists step up attacks to stretch security, divert attention
A former lawmaker in the state who is knowledgeable about the rescue operation told Saturday PUNCH that the terrorists’ commanders had intensified attacks in the northern part of the country to reduce the concentration of security operatives focused on the Oyo abduction.
He said the terrorists, who he claimed had been caged in the forest, were trying to stretch security personnel and thin out their presence in the Oyo National Park in a bid to escape.
The ex-lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday, said, “From intelligence reports, we got to know that the terrorists deliberately increased the tempo of attacks on innocent citizens and communities just to distract the security operatives from forging ahead with the rescue operation.
“They have been surrounded and they know the soldiers in the forest are getting close to them. So, they and their commanders increased the scale of attacks so that the soldiers trailing them in the Oyo forest will be withdrawn or reduced. That is their tactic. But it will not work.
“Very soon, the children and teachers will be rescued. The security men have blocked all the paths they can escape through, and they are becoming weaker.”
Victims used as human shield
A security source privy to the operation told Saturday PUNCH that the abductors’ use of the victims as human shields remained the biggest obstacle to a decisive rescue.
“They’re using their victims as shields, and we don’t want a situation where they would begin to kill those children,” the source said.
“The political actors don’t want us to penetrate as much as possible, and truly, if we do and they kill one of the victims, the outcry would be too much. They would blame it on us.”
The source further disclosed that the abductors’ tactics differed from those of other criminal groups, complicating efforts to track and intercept them.
“They have reinforced and are over 200 in the location where they are keeping the victims,” the source said.
He warned that a forced penetration might result in catastrophic collateral damage.
“If we want to penetrate, and there is an exchange of fire, it could hit the victims, or they kill the victims themselves,” the source said.
Despite the operational constraints, the source indicated that the terrorists were stepping up attacks in Kwara and other areas as a deliberate distraction.
“Very soon we would go to one of the locations in Kwara to flush them out,” the source added.
Ex-general seeks consolidated efforts
A retired Brigadier-General in the Nigerian Army, John Sura, confirmed that the terrorists were stepping up attacks in other parts of the country to reduce pressure on those holding the Oyo pupils and teachers hostage.
He urged security personnel not to be distracted, saying the move was a deliberate attempt to divert attention.
“The issue of the sudden surge all over the place is to re-engage the thinking of the country, both the politicians and the military, from concentrating their efforts on these kidnappers of the schoolchildren.
“Diverting the attention of security agencies is a tactic by any military or terrorist group, so that you don’t concentrate all your efforts on one side. Therefore, I would advise that the military concentrate its efforts on the rescue of the schoolchildren, while every other commander should raise the stakes in the surge and also in the defence of the people.
“I think it is a tactic to stretch out the military and also stretch out the country as a whole and paint us as if we are in a state of war,” Sura told Saturday PUNCH.
He advocated giving community leaders more authority to manage their domains for better intelligence gathering and early response to threats.
“We must begin to devolve authority to village heads and community leaders, so that they will also be sanctioned if attackers passes through their community to another community,” he said.
Sura advised the military to be tactical and employ precise operations in the rescue mission.
“The plan to rescue them must be a close-circuit plan. They must also know the location, the strength of these people, what they are doing and when they are off their timing before they embark on the rescue,” he said.
Sura urged the military to collaborate with NIGCOMSAT to provide real-time aerial footage of the thick forest terrain.
“I think it is high time that we revisit the issue of NIGCOMSAT to see how it can assist in getting footage and images that will help the military. Outside this, it is guesswork,” he added.
Terrorists becoming sophisticated, expert warns
Another retired Brigadier-General, Bashir Adewinbi, noted that the terrorists had adopted new strategies to slow down the rescue operation.
He lamented that they were becoming more sophisticated and better equipped.
“The act of using explosives to slow down the activities of whoever is coming to attack them is very unfortunate. That is another dimension entirely. That means they are dominating the environment,” Adewinbi said.
He warned that innocent people would suffer from the IEDs planted by the terrorists, turning parts of the forest into no-go areas.
Adewinbi advised security agencies to reduce heavy deployment of land forces and focus more on aerial surveillance.
He also called on the Federal Government to ensure speedy trial and execution of convicted terrorists.
“What we are witnessing is a lesson that Nigeria should not keep terrorists in custody for long. Any terrorist caught should be made to go through a speedy trial and executed upon conviction,” Adewinbi added.
We’re discreet in rescue operations – Oyo govt
The Oyo State Government said it will not disclose any information on the rescue efforts other than what is officially authorised.
When contacted, the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the government was being very careful with information so as not to jeopardise the lives of the abducted teachers and pupils.
“We stand by our initial comment that our information will come from only one source. We are being very discreet in what we say, so that we will not put the lives of the teachers and pupils in jeopardy,” he said.
A community leader in the area, who is closely following the rescue operation, disclosed that the soldiers were not permanently stationed inside the forest.
“The soldiers went back into the forest on Thursday. They are not permanently in the bush because the terrorists don’t stay in one location. The terrorists have not been able to leave the forest,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Scale of attacks
Saturday PUNCH findings revealed a surge in terrorist and bandit attacks across the country since the May 15 abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State.
On the same day as the Oyo attack, members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting about 42 pupils.
On May 21, bandits attacked Kurmin Bongo in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing five residents.
On May 30, the Katsina State Government announced the abduction of a former Army spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Rabe Abubakar (retd.), and his wife. Abubakar later died in the kidnappers’ den on June 13.
On June 5, Boko Haram terrorists attacked a Nigerian Army base in Mandaragirau under 25 Brigade, Sector 2, in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State, killing five soldiers and three members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.
On June 10, the Edo State Government ordered the immediate closure of three secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area following intelligence reports of a planned kidnap attack by the same terror group responsible for the Oyo abduction.
Between June 13 and 14, terrorists killed at least 17 farmers in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
On June 17, nine people were killed in an attack by bandits on Angwan Magaji community in Kamaru Ward of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In Katsina State, bandits blocked the Katsina-Kankara highway and intercepted a commercial vehicle carrying 11 passengers.
Police later rescued nine victims, while the driver and another passenger remained missing.
According to a police security report obtained by Saturday PUNCH, no fewer than 98 criminal incidents were recorded across the country within seven days last week.
The incidents, reported across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi and several other states, involved mass abductions, attacks on rural communities and kidnappings along major highways. They comprised 37 homicide cases, 27 banditry attacks, 24 kidnappings, eight armed robbery incidents and two terrorism-related attacks.
When contacted, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, declined to comment.
He told Saturday PUNCH, “No comments, please.”
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