Oyo abduction: Real reason we tracked, arrested kidnappers’ families –Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has revealed that his government flatly rejected kidnappers’ demands for money and the release of jailed gang members during the Oriire school hostage crisis, describing the 56-day military rescue operation as intelligence-driven and announcing the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions as a direct operational response.

President Bola Tinubu has broken his public silence on the Oriire school abductions — and the details are striking.

Speaking to a delegation of Oyo State traditional rulers led by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at Aso Villa on Thursday, the President revealed that the kidnappers behind the May 15, 2026 abduction of roughly 39 pupils and seven teachers in Oriire Local Government Area demanded both a cash ransom and the release of jailed gang members from custody. His government said no to both.

“We are not going to negotiate with criminals. They committed murder, and we were ready to finish with their families, members of their own communities,” Tinubu declared, as reported by The Punch

The 56-day crisis ended on July 10 with a military rescue operation that the presidency described as intelligence-driven, resulting in eight arrests and several neutralisations. One teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was killed during the ordeal.

Tinubu framed the entire episode as a catalyst for structural security reform. “Each event teaches us new methods, opens our eyes, challenges us to examine and re-examine our architecture, our strategy, our map and operations,” he said, disclosing that his recent directive to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve divisions was a direct geographical and numerical response to the Oriire crisis — designed to shorten response times and extend operational reach against terrorism and banditry.

The president also announced plans to retrain and re-equip forest guards as frontline security operatives — no longer confined to wildlife enforcement. “They are not just to chase antelopes and animals. We are going to have them chase the criminals,” he said.

On state police, Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment, promising guardrails against abuse and a role for traditional rulers in its governance structure.

He also attributed the worsening security environment partly to instability spilling over from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic, and urged traditional rulers to mobilise communities as active participants in local intelligence gathering.