President Bola Tinubu has revealed why no ransom was paid for the release of the abducted Oriire schoolchildren and teachers.
The President said the Federal Government refused to negotiate with the kidnappers because security agencies had a good understanding of the forest where the victims were being held.
Tinubu spoke on Thursday while receiving the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The schoolchildren and their teachers were abducted in May after armed bandits attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, triggering nationwide concern over insecurity.
The victims spent 56 days in captivity before they were rescued by security operatives.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the Federal Government announced the successful rescue through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed that no ransom was paid to secure their freedom.
Speaking on the operation, Tinubu said the government’s decision not to pay ransom was based on its knowledge of the terrain where the kidnappers were operating.
“We refused to pay ransom for the release of the Oriire schoolchildren and teachers because we know the geography of the forest,” the President said.
He added that the Federal Government was strengthening the country’s security structure to improve the fight against terrorism and banditry.
“We know what it is and in answer to it, from 8 divisions, we are now moving to 12 divisions to shorten the response time to defeat terrorism and banditry. It is very necessary, and we are doing so,” Tinubu stated.
The President’s comments come about a week after a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced three men to life imprisonment over their involvement in the kidnapping.
The convicts, Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, were convicted after pleading guilty to some of the charges filed against them by the Federal Government.
The three men admitted concealing information about the masterminds behind the school attack and also pleaded guilty to being members of Darul Salam, which prosecutors identified as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a terrorist organisation banned in Nigeria.
While all three defendants pleaded guilty to counts relating to concealment of information and terrorist activities, Abdulrazak Umar also admitted guilt to additional charges accusing him of providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group known as “The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace.”
However, the defendants denied the remaining charges, including conspiracy and kidnapping, meaning those counts will proceed to trial.
According to the Federal Government, the three men conspired with other suspects between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, contrary to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Prosecutors also alleged that the defendants knowingly concealed information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite being aware of the kidnapping plot.
Delivering judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim found the three men guilty on the charges to which they had pleaded guilty and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.
The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) after investigations into the high-profile kidnapping. Court documents further alleged that Abdulrazak Umar used the WhatsApp platform to provide training, instructions and messages promoting terrorist activities.
In addition to the terrorism-related charges, Umar was also accused of engaging in illegal gold mining in streams within the Chaza area of Suleja, Niger State, between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authorisation.