President Bola Tinubu has revealed that the Federal Government rejected demands for ransom and the release of detained criminals during negotiations with the abductors of pupils and teachers kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The President made the disclosure on Thursday while receiving a delegation of Oyo State traditional rulers led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu said the abductors demanded money as well as the release of jailed members of their group, but the government refused to negotiate.
“We said no deal. We are not going to negotiate with criminals,” the President said, describing the eventual rescue operation as a successful intelligence-driven mission carried out without paying ransom.
The Oriire school attack occurred on May 15, 2026, when gunmen abducted about 39 pupils and seven teachers from three schools in the local government area. One teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was killed during the attack.
According to Tinubu, the victims were rescued after 56 days in captivity through coordinated military operations supported by detailed intelligence on the forest terrain.
The President also disclosed that his directive to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions was informed by lessons learned from the Oriire incident.
He said the move would improve response times and strengthen the military’s capacity to tackle terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country.
Tinubu also reaffirmed his support for the creation of state police with safeguards against abuse and announced plans to retrain and equip forest guards to play a frontline role in combating insecurity.
He urged communities and traditional rulers to strengthen intelligence gathering by reporting suspicious activities in their localities, stressing that public cooperation remains vital to addressing security challenges.
The President further called on state governments to channel increased federal allocations into road construction to improve access for security agencies operating in remote areas.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Oba Ladoja thanked the President and the armed forces for securing the release of the kidnapped victims and commended the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to improve security and rehabilitate key federal roads in Oyo State.
