Stephen Angbulu, Deborah Musa, Gift Habib, Chima Azubuike, Deborah Tolu-Kolawole, Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis and Abdulrahman Zakariyau
Difficult terrain, fears over the safety of dozens of kidnapped pupils and teachers, and demands by the abductors for the release of detained terrorist commanders have emerged as major obstacles to ongoing efforts to rescue victims of the recent school attacks in Oyo and Borno states.
This comes as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, on Thursday called for the immediate and safe release of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted in the attacks, describing the incidents as a grave threat to education and child protection.
Multiple Presidency and security sources familiar with the situation told our correspondent that the abductors are demanding the release of high-profile terrorist leaders in exchange for the captives, a condition the Federal Government is unwilling to accept despite mounting public pressure for the victims’ freedom.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter, said the deadlock largely stems from demands for the release of suspected Ansaru commanders, Mahmud Muhammad Usman and his deputy, Mahmud al-Nigeri, both of whom are currently in government custody.
A Presidency source further revealed that the Oyo and Borno school abductions were coordinated and deliberately timed to maximise pressure on the government and strengthen the terrorists’ bargaining position.
The official explained, “In the Oyo kidnapping, the terrorists did a coordinated attack with that of Borno because they want to use it as a negotiation.
“They are pressing for a swap with some high-profile terrorists who are in government custody. These are some of their leaders who were arrested.
“Why this is taking time is due to this issue. The security chiefs and the Federal Government are in a difficult position, and this is unfamiliar terrain for them, as there has not been an extensive operation in the forested area of Oyo, where the children and teachers are being held.”
“The terrorists actually came from the Kainji area in Niger State. They came from there to do this operation, and they have been desperately trying to press for the release of some of their high-profile colleagues who were arrested.
“If you remember, there was a press conference by the NSA (National Security Adviser) several months ago about the Ansaru leaders who were arrested.
“So, they are the ones the terrorists are pushing for their release. That is why the whole thing has been at a standstill now,” the official further revealed.
On August 16, 2025, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced the capture of the two terror commanders during a series of high-risk, intelligence-led operations conducted by the security and intelligence services between May and July 2025.
The arrested men had been on both national and international terror watch lists, Ribadu said.
“Today, I am glad to inform you that we have successfully concluded a high-risk, intelligence-led, counterterrorism operation which led to the capture of the top leadership of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as ANSARU, Nigeria’s Al-Qaeda affiliate,” the NSA announced.
He noted that the capture of the men also known as Abu Bara’a and Mallam Mahmuda, the group’s leader and deputy commander, respectively, marked the most decisive blow against Ansaru since its inception.
Ansaru, a splinter faction of Boko Haram with links to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, has historically operated in the North-West and North-Central, including the forests of Kaduna, Niger and Kogi States.
It operates in urban sleeper cells and remote forest bases, with major enclaves around the Kainji National Park, which straddles Niger and Kwara States and extends to the Republic of Benin.
At the time, the NSA said the captured leader, Usman, who styles himself as the “Emir of Ansaru,” served as the overall coordinator of the group’s nationwide network of terrorist sleeper cells.
He is also believed to have masterminded numerous high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies, which were used to finance Ansaru’s operations over the past decade.
His deputy, al-Nigeri, whom Ribadu described as Ansaru’s “Chief of Staff,” leads the Mahmudawa cell operating in and around the dense forest cover of Kainji National Park.
Al-Nigeri was trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadist instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in weapons handling and improvised explosive device fabrication.
“These two men have jointly spearheaded multiple attacks on civilians, security forces and critical national infrastructure. They are currently in custody and will face due legal process,” the NSA had said.
The source who spoke to our correspondent said the government was caught between its determination to secure the victims’ freedom and its reluctance to release captured commanders back into circulation, where they could regroup and resume attacks.
“Yes, the lives of the children must be secured. But they don’t want to release these people because they will become a problem again to the larger society,” the source said, adding, “These are high-level targets who were successfully captured. So, imagine releasing them again.”
Armed men stormed the Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday, May 15, abducting staff, students and pupils from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.
By the weekend, the abductors had beheaded one of the kidnapped teachers, Mr Michael Oyedokun.
On the same day, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked three schools, including Mussa Central Primary School, Government Day Junior Secondary School, and a SUBEB school, abducting between 42 and 50 schoolchildren from Mussa town in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
In a statement signed May 18 by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayon Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks and killing as “barbaric.”
He also sympathised with Governor Seyi Makinde and assured that the victims would be rescued.
“The bandits and all their local collaborators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” Tinubu stated while renewing his call for the National Assembly to accelerate the establishment of state police.
Meanwhile, a second source in the security community confirmed the development, stating that the government had explored multiple options to free the victims, even as public outcry grows.
“Yes, it is true. The government has been trying all manner of ways to get them released. And the uproar and protests, too, are adding pressure to the whole thing.
“One other thing again is that the terrorists want the outcry that is happening now to pressure the government to do their demands, to do anything to release the children,” said the highly-ranking official.
The source said the terrain and the delicate nature of mass-hostage situations had made a military rescue difficult.
“You know, the area is highly forested and unfamiliar. The issue is the sensitivity of any hostage situation. It is a major problem because a successful hostage rescue where you have all the hostages alive is very difficult. You don’t want to risk the lives of the children and the teachers in the process,” the officials added.
A third source in the Presidency said the dilemma had left the government in a holding pattern where it is unwilling to negotiate yet equally hesitant to mount an assault that could lead to casualties.
According to the source, “I know that the government doesn’t want to negotiate with them. It also doesn’t want to use force that may risk the lives of the people in the forest.
“The President must have been briefed about it, both Oyo and Borno. It is a coordinated kidnapping.”
At the time of filing this report, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, could not be reached for a reaction as calls and a text message sent to his mobile line went unanswered.
UN demands release
United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, called for the safe release of the schoolchildren following a meeting with a delegation from the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre in Abuja, led by Commandant Dr Samuel Umanah, amid growing concern over the abduction of pupils and teachers and the killing of two educators in separate incidents.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, after the meeting, the UN official expressed concern over the worsening security situation affecting schools and learning communities across the country.
