Seyi Adetayo: Government Refused To Negotiate With Oyo State Abductors, Gave Them Fire for Fire

A security and intelligence expert, Seyi Adetayo, has disclosed that the Federal Government refused to negotiate with the abductors of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, opting instead for a coordinated security operation involving elite intelligence and military units that ultimately secured the victims’ rescue.

Recall that the victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked three schools in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, kidnapping 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers. One teacher was later killed in captivity, while security agencies continued rescue efforts for 56 days. Reports of their successful rescue emerged on Friday, July 10, with the Presidency confirming that all surviving victims had been freed during a coordinated security operation.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News following the victims’ rescue, Adetayo said the government deliberately refused to negotiate with the abductors, describing them as members of Ansaru, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, and instead opted for a carefully coordinated security operation involving multiple intelligence and military agencies.

“The people in question, they are not bandits. They are members of Ansaru, that is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. There was a resolve by this government to say, ‘We are not going to negotiate, and we are going to give them fire for fire.’ It required carefully planned operations,” he revealed.

He further claimed the abduction was a carefully planned operation aimed at forcing the government to release two detained Ansaru leaders, whom he said were wanted by the United States and the United Kingdom over alleged terror-related activities.

According to Adetayo, the South-West was deliberately targeted because the region is the President’s home region and would attract widespread media attention, thereby increasing pressure on the government.

“You need to also understand that the two leaders in question are also declared wanted by the United States government and the United Kingdom government for terror-related activities in those two countries.

“This particular attack 56 days ago was a carefully planned attack, strategically planned. And for several reasons. One, they needed a place where the government can feel the effect, so they chose somewhere in the Southwest because the government, the leader of the government, is from the Southwest. And they also understood the fact that social media and the general media platform is so vibrant in the Southwest. So, such an attack in the Southwest, where the president is from, will generate enough media attention, enough for them to be able to put government under pressure and secure the release of these two people,” he alleged.

Adetayo further argued that paying ransom and negotiating with kidnappers had fuelled the rise in mass abductions over the years, saying the government’s refusal to bargain with the Oyo State abductors sent a strong message that terrorism and kidnapping would not be rewarded. 

“We should give commendation to the current government and the leadership of our armed forces. If what has been done today or in the last 56 days had been the approach 14 years ago, as the other speaker said, we wouldn’t be in this situation. You see, the moment you continue to negotiate and pay ransom, you are creating an enterprise. And that is the reason why we see kidnappers everywhere, because they believe that once someone is kidnapped, they are going to pay money.

“But there’s a lesson that people need to learn from this, that government has made a bold statement to say even if you kidnap children 2, 3 years old, we will not let you breathe.,” he stressed.

Defending the country’s security capabilities, Adetayo claimed that Nigerian security agencies relied on intelligence and surveillance throughout the operation. He said operatives monitored the abductors’ movements and communications from the onset of the abduction, tracked and arrested some of their relatives across several states, and used intelligence to identify those involved despite their identities not being publicly known.

“Nigeria is highly equipped to the best of its ability and can place this—going to benchmark with countries of the Nigerian level, we have that technology. The movement of these people had been watched right from when this abduction took place. They were monitoring them, they know where they were, they are listening to their communication, they tracked their family members, they arrested their family members across different states, they brought them. Do you know what it takes to identify the people involved in kidnapping whose pictures and faces were not being shown on TV? That is use of technology.”

Adetayo said the operation demonstrated the government’s resolve not to yield to the demands of the abductors, insisting that no ransom was paid. He added that intelligence-led operations had helped identify and apprehend suspects and their associates, while commending security personnel who lost their lives in the effort to rescue the victims.

“And the reason they—their motives and objectives were very clear. They wanted this, and government said no.

“Now, you see, they arrested eight people. That means that ransom was not paid. They killed some of them. In fact, they killed the rest. None of them survived. None of the terrorists involved survived. And also, family members of those people are also in captivity. And if you look at also, you know, cases like this in the past, the families weren’t just released; they were all taken to court, tried, and sent to jail. Because intelligence have shown that members—family members of those people are also involved in this trade.

“So before they were picked, they have been monitoring and then assessing them before they come to a point of those that they picked. So, for anyone to say that there’s no technology, I don’t think that that is right. I think we need to give kudos. People are dying in the course of trying to keep Nigeria safe, and we need to praise our armed forces,” he urged.

Favour Odima

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