NGF salutes multi-agency effort behind Oriire school rescue

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has expressed delight over the rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire, Oyo State, describing their release as welcome news for their families and the nation.

In a statement issued on Friday night by the Forum’s Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the governors also congratulated President Bola Tinubu on the successful outcome of the operation.

“The Forum received with joy and relief the news of the successful rescue of all the schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire community in Oyo State,” the statement said.

According to the NGF, the operation was made possible through “months of high-level coordination, intelligence gathering, and disciplined execution.”

The governors said the safe return of the victims had brought comfort to their loved ones.

“The Forum also rejoices with the families of the victims on the successful rescue which have now reunited them with their precious children and relations,” the statement added.

The Forum praised the cooperation between the Oyo State Government and the Federal Government, noting that the partnership played an important role in securing the victims’ freedom.

It also paid tribute to the security agencies involved in the operation.

“We are especially proud of the commitment and professionalism of our security forces throughout the operation. We are confident that this impressive multi-agency collaboration will yield more successes as the security forces do more to neutralise all threats and rescue our citizens who are still trapped in the den of kidnappers,” the statement said.

While celebrating the successful rescue, the governors acknowledged the pain of families still affected by kidnapping and other violent crimes.

The NGF appealed to Nigerians to continue working with security agencies by providing useful information that could help prevent attacks and secure the release of other victims.

“While we sincerely share in the grief of families and communities impacted by kidnapping and related incidents, we appeal to citizens to continue to support government’s efforts to protect lives and property in every part of the country, including giving timely and actionable intelligence to security agencies,” the statement said.