By Sabiu Abdullahi
President Bola Tinubu has said his administration rejected negotiations with the kidnappers who abducted pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State because security agencies understood the terrain where the victims were held.
The president spoke on Thursday at the State House in Abuja while receiving traditional rulers from Oyo State, led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja.
Tinubu said the successful rescue operation demonstrated the effectiveness of the country’s security forces. He maintained that the government would continue to confront criminal groups without paying ransom.
“Congratulations on the Oriire Oyo state rescue that succeeded. I think we succeeded with your support, prayers, and I agree with you that we should commend the men and women of the armed forces for their excellent performance,” the president told the delegation.
“On behalf of them, I accept the message and I will forward this same message on. I should emphasise the question of security that each event teaches us new method, open our eyes, challenge us to examine and re-examine our architecture, our strategies, our map and operations.
“And you would agree that we gifting geographical and numerical answers to the challenge. We refused to pay ransom. We have the geography of the forest.
“We know what it is and in answer to it, you see that from eight divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions to shorten the response time, to give that response time the teeth that is needed for us to defeat terrorism and banditry. It is very necessary and we are doing so.”
The president also reiterated his administration’s commitment to establishing state police as part of efforts to strengthen security across the country.
“We have equally embarked upon what was missing, several decades of fears and uncertainty about what to do about security at the local level will be corrected,” he said.
“There will be state police. And as state police will have guardrails from abuses. We protect it from abuses.”
Tinubu also appealed to traditional rulers to support the fight against insecurity. He said the government is strengthening the capacity of forest guards to confront criminals operating in forests.
“We are equally enhancing the capacity and capability of the forest guards. They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals and deal with them in various forests,” he added.
Gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire LGA on May 15 and abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers, including the principal of one of the affected schools.
The kidnappers later killed one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, while he was in captivity.
The Presidency announced on July 10 that all the remaining abducted pupils and teachers had regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity.
