No Permanent Terrorist Base in South-West, Military Says After Oyo School Attacks

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has officially dismissed reports suggesting that terrorist organisations have established a permanent operational base in Nigeria’s South-West region, following the recent abduction of school pupils and teachers in Oyo State.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, May 20, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, described the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area as “an isolated criminal act and not evidence of an entrenched terrorist presence” in the region.

The affected schools are Baptist Nursery and Primary School Yawota, Community Grammar School Ahoro-Esinele, and L.A. Primary School — all in Oriire LGA.

CDS Condemns Abduction

Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Olufemi Oluyede described the abduction of innocent children and staff as “callous and reprehensible” and assured families that the Armed Forces were deploying all available resources to ensure the safe and unconditional release of the victims.

The military noted that previous clearance operations in the Old Oyo National Park had significantly weakened criminal elements in the area, adding: “Current intelligence assessments do not support the conclusion that any structured or permanent terrorist base exists within the forests or hinterlands of the South West region.”

Troops are currently conducting operations in the forest areas to track down the perpetrators, working in collaboration with other security agencies, local vigilantes, and community members providing human intelligence.

The DHQ urged residents of the South-West to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies, assuring that operations will continue until all victims are rescued and criminal networks dismantled.

Sources: Daily Post, ThisDay, The Eagle Online