Nine killed in operation to rescue Oyo kidnap victims — DSS DG

Nine people, including five security personnel and four civilians, were killed during the operation to rescue victims abducted from schools in Oyo State, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, has disclosed.

Ajayi said the casualties occurred as security forces pursued the kidnappers and later raided their hideout following the abduction.

The DSS chief, in an interview published by Premium Times, said operatives moved quickly after receiving credible intelligence about the attack.

According to him, a police officer and a vigilante were killed during the initial pursuit, while further casualties were recorded when security forces launched a second assault on the kidnappers’ location.

“Immediately after the incident happened, based on credible intelligence, troops chased them immediately, and sadly, a vigilante and a policeman were killed. During the second raid, more were killed, making a total of nine fatalities, four civilians and five security personnel,” Ajayi said.

He described the rescue mission as particularly difficult because one of the victims was a two-and-a-half-year-old child who would have been unable to flee quickly if security forces had stormed the location.

Ajayi also warned about the spread of false information during the operation, saying social media platforms were flooded with misleading videos purportedly showing the treatment of the abducted children.

He said some of the footage circulating online had no connection with the Oyo incident and had actually been recorded in another country.

“As expected, the rescue operation attracted a lot of social media disinformation. You have to sieve the information there,” he said.

The DSS boss said some videos showing children with injuries were old footage linked to witchcraft-related incidents elsewhere but were presented online as evidence from the Oyo abduction.

He urged journalists and media organisations to intensify verification of information during security emergencies, stressing the need to distinguish established facts from fabricated narratives.

“Recall the victims recounted how well-treated they were by the criminals. So, one of the things I’d like you to do in the media is fact-finding and separating facts from fiction,” Ajayi said.

The DSS director-general further disclosed that the kidnapping network involved in the Oyo incident was an international terrorist organisation with links to Al-Qaeda.

He said the Service had previously arrested the group’s leaders and that their detention had helped prevent planned attacks and mass abductions.

Ajayi said the arrested leaders were linked to the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and had allegedly been preparing further operations targeting foreigners, students, women and children.

“Citizens ought to know that the incarcerated leaders of the kidnap group who were requested in exchange for the victims were arrested last year by the Service; their arrest helped to prevent high-profile attacks,” he said.

He added that the group was allegedly seeking recognition as a state and the right to establish a territory where its members could practise their religion.

According to Ajayi, the group’s leaders and three other collaborators have been sentenced to life imprisonment, although the DSS intends to pursue harsher penalties.

“The kingpins are the ones now sentenced to life imprisonment. The three other collaborators earned life imprisonment, and the Service will push for a stiffer penalty,” he said.

The abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed attackers reportedly stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and abducted pupils and teachers.

A coordinated operation involving security agencies was subsequently launched, culminating in the rescue of the victims.