Oyo lawmaker warns against direct confrontation with bandits, urges tactical approach

By Adejayan Gbenga

The Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, Abdulfatai Buhari, has cautioned security agencies against launching direct attacks on bandits holding abducted schoolchildren in Oyo State, warning that such operations could put the lives of the victims at greater risk.

Buhari gave the warning while speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday, amid ongoing efforts to secure the release of pupils recently abducted from schools in Ogbomosho and Oriire Local Government Areas of the state.

The lawmaker explained that the kidnappers were allegedly using the children as human shields, making any aggressive military operation potentially disastrous for the captives.

“If the attack is a conventional war, it’s a different thing, but these are people who move from one place to another. They took the children to surround themselves. So if you decide to attack, they will kill all the 47 children. They used them as human shields,” he said.

Buhari noted that the criminal groups operate within vast forest corridors stretching across several states, including Oyo, Kwara, Niger, Kebbi and Sokoto, making tracking and rescue operations more complex.

According to him, the forests provide safe havens for armed groups, who frequently relocate to evade security forces and frustrate rescue efforts. He added that some of the routes also extend to border areas with neighbouring countries.

The senator stressed that the rescue mission requires intelligence-driven strategies rather than conventional combat tactics, insisting that the safety of the abducted children must remain the foremost consideration in all security operations.

He assured affected families that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims, while urging security agencies to sustain coordinated operations capable of rescuing the children safely and bringing the perpetrators to justice.