Nine people, including five security personnel and four civilians, were killed during an operation to rescue victims abducted by a suspected international terrorist group in Oyo State, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Tosin Ajayi, has disclosed.
Ajayi, speaking in an interview published by Premium Times, said security operatives launched an immediate pursuit after receiving credible intelligence about the abduction.
He said a vigilante and a police officer were killed during the initial pursuit, while additional casualties were recorded during a subsequent raid on the kidnappers’ hideout.
“Immediately after the incident happened, based on credible intelligence, troops chased them immediately, and sadly, a vigilante and a policeman were killed. During the second raid, more were killed, making a total of nine fatalities, four civilians and five security personnel,” Ajayi said.
The DSS chief described the rescue as a complex operation because one of the victims was a two-and-a-half-year-old child who could not have escaped quickly during an assault on the location.
Ajayi also warned about misinformation circulated on social media during the operation. He said videos allegedly showing children being tortured were old footage from another country and had no connection to the Oyo incident.
He urged journalists to verify information before publishing reports on sensitive security operations.
The abduction reportedly occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area and abducted pupils and teachers. A joint operation by security agencies later secured the victims’ rescue.
Ajayi said the group was an international terrorist organisation linked to Al-Qaeda. He added that its leaders, who had been arrested by the DSS, were linked to the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and had allegedly planned further kidnappings targeting foreigners, students, women and children.
According to Ajayi, the group’s leaders and three collaborators have been sentenced to life imprisonment, although the DSS is seeking stiffer penalties.
