Oriire Abduction Crisis Deepens As Boko Haram Terrorists Plant IEDs, Change Location Daily

A report has revealed that Boko Haram terrorists who abducted pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State are frustrating the rescue operation by planting Improvised Explosive Devices and frequently changing locations.

Naija News reports that the victims who were abducted on May 15 have spent 36 days in captivity.

According to Punch, the terrorists, who are members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad, which is the formal name of Boko Haram, are still trapped in the Oyo National Park.

The terrorists have reportedly 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.

Sources told the aforementioned publication 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.

Security operatives familiar with the rescue operation said that all possible exit routes from the forest had been manned by soldiers, making it difficult for the terrorists to move their victims out.

The publication 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 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.

“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 said.

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.

A former lawmaker in the state who is knowledgeable about the rescue operation disclosed 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, whom 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 would 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 said 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 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 said.

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 could 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.