Daily Trust Editorial, Tuesday July 21, 2026
The rescue of the pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire LGA of Oyo State is welcome news and deserves commendation. Every Nigerian should be relieved that the victims returned safely to their families after 56 days in captivity. At a time when school abductions have become recurring reminders of Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, the successful operation offers hope that the state still possesses the capacity to protect its citizens.
Yet, as gratifying as the rescue is, it must not become an excuse for premature celebration or a basis for claiming that the war against kidnapping has been won. The real test of any government’s security credentials is not how many victims it rescues after an attack, but how effectively it prevents such attacks from happening in the first place.
One important lesson from the operation is the value of intelligence-led security. The successful rescue reinforces what security experts have long argued: that effective intelligence gathering, surveillance, inter-agency coordination and carefully planned operations are more sustainable than reactive or indiscriminate force. Such an approach not only improves the chances of rescuing victims alive but also helps to dismantle criminal networks with minimal risk to hostages.
An equally significant aspect of the development is the reported fact that the operation was carried out without the payment of ransom. We submit that this should encourage governments at all levels to intensify efforts to combat the growing kidnap-for-ransom industry through intelligence and law enforcement rather than allowing criminals to profit from their crimes. Every ransom paid strengthens criminal gangs, finances the purchase of more weapons and emboldens them to strike again.
It must be stated, however, that families often resort to paying ransom out of desperation because they have little confidence that the state can rescue their loved ones in time. That reality places a greater responsibility on government to strengthen intelligence, improve rapid response mechanisms and reassure citizens that they will not be abandoned in moments of crisis. The long-term objective must be to make kidnapping an unprofitable enterprise.
It is, therefore, our opinion that the success recorded in Oyo should henceforth serve as a model for addressing similar cases across the country. It is difficult to ignore the plight of the schoolchildren abducted in Borno State on the same day as the Oyo victims. While one set of families is celebrating, another continues to live with uncertainty and anguish. Government must demonstrate the same urgency, commitment and professionalism in securing the freedom of every Nigerian still in captivity, regardless of where the crime occurred.
Beyond these individual cases lies the broader reality that many communities across the North-West, North-Central and North-East continue to endure persistent attacks by bandits and terrorists operating from forests and other poorly governed spaces. The Oyo rescue should, therefore, become a template for a nationwide strategy built on intelligence, coordination and sustained pressure against criminal groups.
The increasing resort to negotiations and other non-kinetic approaches by some state governments also deserves careful handling. Dialogue may have a place in resolving certain conflicts, but it should never legitimise organised criminality or reward violence. Where negotiations become unavoidable, they must proceed strictly from a position of state authority and strength. Anything less risks reinforcing the dangerous perception that kidnapping is an effective means of extracting concessions from government.
We also submit that this country must now intensify efforts to reclaim its forests and other ungoverned territories that have become safe havens for kidnappers, bandits and terrorists. Reclaiming them will require sustained military operations, improved aerial surveillance, modern technology, stronger policing and close collaboration with local communities.
Political leaders must equally resist the temptation to politicise security matters. Security agencies should be allowed to carry out their constitutional responsibilities professionally and without unnecessary interference. Criminals do not recognise political parties, ethnic identities or religious affiliations. The response to insecurity must therefore remain national rather than partisan priority.
While commending the security agencies for the successful rescue, we are concerned by the tendency in some quarters to present the development as evidence that government has decisively overcome the kidnapping crisis. Such triumphalism is misplaced. The victims were rescued because they had first been abducted; a crime that exposed failures in preventive security. Commendation for the rescue should therefore be accompanied by honest reflection on why the abduction occurred and what must change to prevent a recurrence.
This distinction is important. Security is measured less by successful rescue operations than by the ability to prevent attacks altogether. Citizens should be able to send their children to school without fearing they may become bargaining chips in a criminal enterprise.
That is why the Safe Schools Initiative and other security programmes must be revisited with renewed seriousness.
Above all, the Oriire rescue is encouraging because it demonstrates that determined, intelligence-driven operations can defeat kidnappers without enriching them through ransom payments. But it should also serve as a reminder that isolated successes cannot substitute for a comprehensive national security strategy.
The greatest lesson from this episode is not that Nigeria has won the fight against kidnapping, but that it has shown what is possible when intelligence, coordination and political will come together. Government must now replicate that success across the country, rescue those still in captivity and, above all, prevent future abductions. Only then will Nigerians have genuine cause for celebration.