The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Nigeria has identified members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) terrorist group as those responsible for the recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State, saying the attackers are remnants of insurgent elements displaced from other parts of the country by ongoing military operations.
In a statement signed yesterday by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, the DHQ said the terrorists behind the operation had relocated to parts of the South West following intensified offensives by the Armed Forces of Nigeria across traditional conflict zones.
The military said its earlier clarification on insecurity in the South West was aimed at providing intelligence-based insight into the evolving threat posed by terrorist groups operating outside their usual strongholds.
According to the statement, the attackers involved in the Oyo abduction were not ordinary criminals but “vicious and violent terrorists” linked to the JAS faction, contrary to reports suggesting the Defence Headquarters had downgraded their status.
“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement noted.
The DHQ condemned what it described as misleading reports misrepresenting its comments on the security situation, insisting that it never trivialised the actions of the perpetrators or attempted to undermine the seriousness of the attack.
Military authorities said troops remain actively deployed across affected communities in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to track and dismantle the terrorist cells responsible for the operation.
The Armed Forces also reaffirmed their commitment to protecting democratic institutions and restoring stability in all parts of the country threatened by terrorism and organised violence.
