Former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin (retd.), has disclosed that the Department of State Services, DSS, deserved greater recognition for its pivotal intelligence role in securing the release of 46 teachers and pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
In a statement issued on Monday, Petinrin said public attention had largely focused on other security agencies involved in the rescue effort, while the intelligence work carried out by the DSS and other members of the intelligence community received little acknowledgement.
According to the retired military chief, “information that emerged after the victims regained freedom indicated that the abductees were released by their captors rather than through direct military action.”
Petinrin said testimony from one of the released victims suggested that the kidnappers informed their captives they were being freed after members of the kidnappers’ families had been identified, arrested and their videos forwarded to those holding the victims.
“The Oriire kidnap victims’ release was already being credited to the military until one of the released victims told the true story: they were released by the kidnappers, and no kinetic action was involved in that release,” he said.
He added that identifying the kidnappers and tracing their relatives required extensive intelligence gathering, attributing that aspect of the operation to the DSS and other intelligence agencies working behind the scenes.
“How were the kidnappers identified and their relatives traced to their various places of abode? That was the work of the DSS and the other actors in the intelligence community,” Petinrin stated.
The former defence chief also commended the DSS for maintaining silence despite a lack of public recognition, saying intelligence personnel often avoid public attention even after contributing significantly to successful security operations.
He reiterated that intelligence remains central to modern security operations, describing it as the foundation upon which effective military interventions are built.
“Intelligence is the grandfather of military operations. May God bless our DSS and the other players in the intelligence community,” Petinrin said.
Petinrin also praised President Bola Tinubu, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and DSS Director-General Adeola Ajayi for exercising restraint during the operation rather than resorting immediately to force.
According to him, “the measured approach adopted by the authorities helped prevent possible casualties among the abducted teachers and pupils. The strategy could provide a useful model for future anti-kidnapping operations.”
The victims were abducted on May 15 when suspected members of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, L.A. Primary School and Community Grammar School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
During the attack, a teacher was killed, while dozens of teachers and pupils were taken hostage before they were eventually released after spending several weeks in captivity.
DSS deserves recognition for role in Oriire abductees’ safe release — Ex-Defence Chief, Petinrin