THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has said the recent kidnap incident in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists displaced from other parts of the country following intensified military operations across Nigeria.
The military high command made this known on Thursday while reacting to what it described as “mischievous and misleading publications” concerning comments attributed to the Defence Headquarters on the classification of terrorists and criminal elements operating in the South-West.
In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, the DHQ stated that the attackers behind the Oyo abduction were members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad terrorist group who had been displaced by sustained military offensives in different parts of the country.
“The recent incidence of kidnap 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,” the statement read.
The DHQ also denied reports suggesting that it had referred to terrorists operating in the South-West as ordinary criminals, insisting that such interpretations were inaccurate and misleading.
“It is, therefore, inaccurate and misleading to suggest that the Defence Headquarters, at any point, referred to vicious and violent terrorists as criminals,” Onoja stated.
According to the military, its earlier clarification on security developments in the South-West was intended to provide an intelligence-based context in order to prevent misinformation and unnecessary panic among residents.
The statement further stressed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remained committed to supporting constitutional governance and protecting democratic institutions.
“At no time did the Defence Headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement added.
The DHQ also disclosed that troops remained actively deployed across affected areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks threatening national peace and stability.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remain resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability and unity of the nation,” the statement said.
The clarification followed recent attacks on communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers, and other residents from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle.
The incident reportedly left several persons dead, while one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was later killed after a video linked to the attack surfaced online.