‎DHQ blames Oyo kidnapping on dislodged JAS terrorists

‎The Defence Headquarters has attributed the recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State to members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) terrorist group displaced from other regions following intensified military operations across the country.
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‎In a statement issued on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, dismissed reports suggesting the military classified armed groups operating in the South-West as mere criminals.
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‎According to the DHQ, the attackers responsible for the abduction in Oyo were terrorists forced out of their former strongholds due to sustained military offensives nationwide.
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‎“The recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” Onoja stated.
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‎The military described contrary interpretations of its earlier remarks as “misleading and mischievous,” insisting that it had never downplayed the threat posed by terrorist elements in the South-West.
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‎The clarification follows attacks in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed men abducted pupils, teachers, and residents from Community High School in Ahoro-Esinle. One of the abducted teachers, identified as Michael Oyedokun, was later killed after a video linked to the incident surfaced online.
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‎The DHQ said troops remain deployed in affected areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to track down the perpetrators and rescue the remaining victims.
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‎It also reaffirmed the commitment of the Armed Forces to dismantling criminal and terrorist networks threatening national peace and stability.
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‎“We remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability, and unity of the nation,” the statement added.
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