A two-year-old toddler, Christianah Akanbi, of Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, is among the 46 persons kidnapped by terrorists in some communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday.

According to community leaders, a total of 46 persons – seven teachers and 39 students – were abducted from Community High School Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. Four motorcycles were also snatched from villagers (three from the Yawota community and one from the high school).

However, the Police Command in Oyo State, yesterday, gave conflicting figures of the victims, saying 25 pupils and teachers remained missing.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television, saying the incident has heightened concerns over worsening insecurity and rising cases of mass abductions across the country.

Ayanlade said: “The attackers invaded the schools on motorcycles and abducted pupils and teachers during the coordinated operation.

“As of now, we have confirmation that seven students, 18 pupils and seven teachers are still missing. Those are the figures we can confirm for now.

On reports that the kidnappers had been trapped inside the National Park, Ayanlade declined to provide operational details.

“It is still an ongoing investigation and rescue operation. I wouldn’t want to comment on whether they are trapped or not because that may jeopardise ongoing rescue efforts,” he said.

Responding to questions over delayed intervention despite the scale of the abduction, he said: “It did not take too long. The communities are deep inside the forest terrain. Immediately the report came, the Commissioner of Police directed the Area Commander, DPO, tactical teams, Amotekun operatives and local vigilantes to move in.”

He explained that security operatives had to exercise caution because the abductors were using the victims as human shields.

“The children and teachers are with them. Any exchange of fire must be done meticulously because we do not want to jeopardise or risk the lives of the captives,” he added.

Although he refused to categorise the attackers as bandits or terrorists, Ayanlade described them as “criminals and men of the underworld.”

In a move aimed at securing the kidnapped persons, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has deployed additional detectives from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with a joint security team on ground.

The deployment, according to reliable security sources, is aimed at ensuring the rescue of the abducted persons unhurt.

A source said: “More detectives have been deployed from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with the joint security operatives on the ground.

“The kidnapped students and their teachers will soon breathe air of freedom as the government and the relevant security agencies are leaving no stone unturned.

“The security agencies will explore all opportunities to ensure that the students return to their respective parents safely.

“There is no cause for the parents and the entire people of the state to be apprehensive over the matter, as the government is on top of the situation.”

Also, the Defence headquarters, yesterday, assured that the Armed Forces were deploying all necessary resources to secure the safe return of abducted victims of Oriire schools in Oyo State.

It, however, dismissed claims suggesting that terrorist groups have established a permanent operational base in Nigeria’s South-West.

The DHQ, in a statement by its Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, quoted the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Olufemi Oluyede, condemning the attack as “callous and reprehensible.”

The CDS expressed deep sympathy to the families of the victims, the government and people of Oyo State, and Nigerians at large over the incident, assuring that the Armed Forces of Nigeria were deploying all necessary resources to secure the safe return of the abducted victims.

General Oluyede urged Nigerians to “remain calm, united and supportive of security agencies during the ongoing operations.

DHQ clarified that intelligence available to the military does not support reports of any entrenched terrorist infrastructure within the forests or hinterlands of the South West.

It explained that the Armed Forces had previously conducted extensive clearance operations within the Old Oyo National Park, neutralising criminal elements operating in the area and significantly degrading their operational capacity.

“The incident was an isolated criminal act and does not reflect the existence of any entrenched terrorist structure in the region,” the statement noted.

DHQ further cautioned against narratives that could create panic among residents or exaggerate the strength and presence of criminal groups in the region.

It also disclosed that troops were currently conducting active operations within the forests in pursuit of the perpetrators and to rescue the abducted victims.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until every abducted victim is safely recovered and normalcy fully restored,” the statement added.