Oyo abduction: Inside terrorists’ plot to stall rescue

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.”

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.