The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has described the recent attacks in Oyo State as isolated criminal incidents, insisting that they do not indicate the existence of any organised terrorist network in the South-West region.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, said military operations conducted earlier in the Old Oyo National Park had already disrupted and weakened criminal groups previously operating in the area.
The clarification comes after armed men attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso, all located in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
During the incident, two people were killed, while about 45 pupils, alongside a school principal and several teachers, were abducted. One of the kidnapped teachers was later killed while in captivity.
However, Onoja said intelligence reports do not support claims that terrorist groups have established permanent bases in forests or remote areas of the South-West.
“It is pertinent to state that the incident was an isolated criminal act and does not reflect the existence of any entrenched terrorist structure in the region, as the Armed Forces had earlier conducted a comprehensive clearance operation of the Old Oyo National Park, effectively neutralising the operational capacity of criminal elements within that corridor,” the statement reads.
He added that current intelligence findings do not suggest any structured insurgent presence in the region.
“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.
“Criminal elements, however audacious their recent activities, do not constitute an established insurgent presence, and the defence headquarters cautions against narratives that may cause unnecessary public panic or embolden adversaries by overstating their capabilities.”
Onoja also assured that the military remains committed to securing the release of the abducted victims and restoring peace in the affected communities.
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He said ongoing search-and-rescue operations are being carried out across forest areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local vigilante groups.
“The joint effort with all security agencies and local vigilantes will ensure that the forest is thoroughly cleared of criminal elements and that lasting peace is restored to the region,” he said.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until every abducted victim is safely recovered, the criminal networks responsible are dismantled, and normalcy is fully restored across the South West and indeed all of Nigeria.”