Ex-DSS Official Defends Oriire Rescue Operation, Urges Nigerians To Commend Security Agencies

 

A former Assistant Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mohammed Ngoshe, has urged Nigerians to give kudos to the Nigerian Armed Forces for the rescue of the Oriire pupils and teachers in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

 

He faulted claims that the government and the security forces were not transparent about the matter.

“After all, the thing has now become a matter of public interest, so it is not going to be swept under the carpet for whatever reason, but I think the time is not right for all these kinds of comments to be made on the operation.

“I think we should be eulogising the state services and other security services for doing what they have done and doing it very well,” Ngoshe said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

Providing details about how the operation to rescue the victims was carried out, he said the terrorists, who were encircled by security forces, had released the pupils believing it would resolve the matter.

“Now the problem, to them (the terrorists), was how to resolve the matter amicably. Amicably in the sense that they wanted a lifeline, and that lifeline did not come because the security forces did not accede to it,” the former DSS assistant director stated.

“There was a congregation of security forces, and positions were taken after the location was isolated. And the whole community around that place was dominated.

“They (terrorists) were denied access to food. They were denied access to weapons. Their informants were taken out and used as assets.

“Videos of all these operations were ferried to them, and they saw that they had no option but to surrender.

“It was in the process of closing in on them after they were encircled that the three forces from the police, army, and other security services that were lost through IED — they marched on IED and they were killed.

“So getting to the level where they were to be annihilated completely, they gave out the children thinking that that will resolve the matter. After the children were successfully resolved, the Forces engaged them.

“Unfortunately for them, they were all surrounded. They were engaged. Some of them were eliminated, and about four of them were critically wounded and picked, and the other ones among them were picked with minor injuries.

“The four of them that were critically injured died in hospital, while the other ones are being processed to be prosecuted,” he added.

Ngoshe’s comments come amid the recent rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers who were abducted on May 15, 2026, by terrorists.

After spending 56 days in captivity, the Presidency last Friday announced their rescue by security forces.

In a statement on X on July 10, 2026, it revealed that eight members of the kidnapping gang were arrested during the rescue operation and were in the custody of the DSS.

The aide also said that the rescue operation did not involve any exchange or concession to the kidnappers, noting that a notorious gang leader whose release had been demanded by the abductors remains in custody and is being prosecuted for his alleged crimes.

On Tuesday, the Chief Medical Director of the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Olawale Olakulehin, announced the discharge of 31 of the 39 rescued pupils, saying they had been certified medically fit and reunited with their families.

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