The Defence Headquarters has linked the recent abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State to members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), a faction of Boko Haram, reportedly displaced from other parts of the country by sustained military operations.
The military high command made the disclosure on Thursday while reacting to public concerns and media interpretations surrounding recent comments attributed to the Defence Headquarters on insecurity in the South-West region.
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, the military described reports suggesting that terrorists operating in the South-West were being referred to as ordinary criminals as misleading and inaccurate.
According to the statement, intelligence findings indicated that the attackers responsible for the coordinated abductions in Oyo State were members of the JAS terrorist group who had fled intensified military offensives in other regions of the country.
“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement said.
The Defence Headquarters stressed that at no time did it downplay the gravity of the attacks or classify terrorists as common criminals.
“It is inaccurate and misleading to suggest that the Defence Headquarters, at any point, referred to vicious and violent terrorists as criminals,” Onoja added.
The clarification followed widespread outrage over the attacks on schools and communities in Oriire Local Government Area, where armed men abducted pupils, teachers and residents during coordinated raids on educational institutions.
The attacks, which occurred last week, targeted Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and other nearby schools, throwing Ogbomoso and adjoining communities into panic.
The incident also claimed lives, including that of a teacher, Adesiyan Adegboye, whose burial commenced on Friday in Ogbomoso amid grief and outrage from residents.
Another abducted teacher, identified as Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed after a disturbing video linked to the attackers surfaced online.
The military said its earlier comments regarding the South-West security situation were intended to provide intelligence-based clarification and prevent misinformation capable of causing unnecessary panic among residents.
The DHQ also reaffirmed the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to democratic governance and national security, insisting that military operations against terrorists and criminal groups would continue across the country.
“At no time did the Defence Headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement noted.
The military further disclosed that troops remained actively deployed in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to dismantle terrorist cells and criminal networks threatening peace and stability nationwide.
The revelation has heightened concerns over the spread of insurgent activities into parts of the South-West, especially forested communities bordering the Old Oyo National Park, where residents and local leaders had previously raised alarms over suspicious movements and possible terrorist infiltration.
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