Nigeria DSS intelligence key to rescue of Oriire school kidnapping victims

Former Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin praised Nigeria's Department of State Services (DSS) for securing the release of kidnapped pupils and teachers from a school in Oriire, Oyo State. He said the operation relied on intelligence that identified the kidnappers' relatives, leading the abductors to release the hostages after family members were arrested and videos were sent to them. Petinrin highlighted that no kinetic action was taken and commended the President, the Oyo State Governor, the Minister of Defence, the NSA and the DG DSS for exercising restraint. He reiterated that "intelligence is the grandfather of military operations" and called for the approach to be used in future anti‑kidnapping efforts.