By Ola Kay
A former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin (retd.), has applauded the Department of State Service, DSS for its efforts in securing the recent release of abuducted pupils and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The PUNCH reports that Air Chief Marshal Petinrin, in a statement obtained in Osogbo on Monday, said the DSS played a strategic role in the operation that led to the release of all the abducted persons, almost without public acknowledgement, while the military was largely credited for the success of the operation
The retired military chief appreciated the intelligence efforts of the DSS, which he noted were particularly crucial to the outcome, despite being unnoticed.
According to Petinrin “The ORIRE kidnap victims’ release was already being credited to the military until one of the released victims told the true story: they were released by the kidnappers, and no kinetic action was involved in that release.
“The kidnappers even told their victims why they were being released: members of the kidnappers’ families had been arrested and their videos were sent to the kidnappers.
“But how were the kidnappers identified and their relatives traced to their various places of abode? That was the work of the DSS and the other actors in the intelligence community.”
He hailed the DSS for displaying high level of professionalism by keeping mute despite not being publicly noticed for its role.
Recall that, on May 15, suspected members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru, attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing a teacher and abducting pupils and teachers.
The schools that came under siege included the Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; L.A. Primary School; and Community Grammar School, Esiele.
The kidnapped victims were released after several weeks in the kidnappers enclave.
But the manner of their release has gotten the opposition political parties and some curious members of the public talking, expressing doubt about a release without ransom payment and possible casualties during operation by security agencies, until the story because public directly from the victims who explained the role of the security agents involved, especially the DSS.
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