DHQ: JAS Terrorists Behind Oyo School Kidnap, Not Criminals

ABUJA — The Defence Headquarters has confirmed that the recent kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists belonging to the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad group, commonly known as JAS. The military said these are the same Boko Haram-linked terrorists who were dislodged from the northeast through sustained military operations.

DHQ Director of Defence Media Operations Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja signed the statement released on Thursday. He said it is inaccurate to describe the attackers as ordinary criminals. The terrorists stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 16, abducting pupils, teachers, and other residents.

“The recent incidence of kidnapping 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 said in the statement.

The DHQ denied that it had earlier played down the threat. Officials said earlier communications were intended to provide intelligence-based context and prevent public panic. However, the military stressed that it never referred to the attackers as mere criminals.

Terrorism Moves South

The confirmation that JAS terrorists carried out the Oyo attack is alarming for southwest Nigeria. For years, the northeast has been the primary theatre of jihadist activity. The movement of dislodged terrorists into new regions signals a dangerous geographic shift in Nigeria’s terrorism problem.

Security analysts say this was predictable. As the military intensified pressure on JAS and ISWAP in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, displaced fighters began moving into less defended territories. The northwest, the north-central, and now the southwest have all felt the consequences.

Furthermore, the DHQ said troops remain actively deployed across affected areas. The military is working with police, DSS, and local stakeholders to locate the abducted victims and dismantle the terrorist networks responsible.

Funeral as Search Continues

One of the teachers killed during the Oriire attack, Adesiyan Adegboye, aged 49, was buried in Ogbomoso on Friday, May 22. His death has become a symbol of the human cost of insecurity in Nigeria’s farming communities.

Rescue operations for the abducted teachers and students continue. Security agencies have not confirmed how many victims remain in captivity. Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration has faced mounting pressure to do more to secure rural communities in Oyo State.

The DHQ said the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks. It urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities in their communities and to cooperate fully with security agencies to help prevent further attacks.