The Defence Headquarters has said the recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State was carried out by terrorists displaced from other parts of the country following intensified military operations.

The military high command stated this on Thursday while reacting to what it described as “mischievous and misleading publications” surrounding comments credited to the defense headquarters on the classification of terrorists and criminal elements operating in the South-West.

In a statement signed by the director, defense media operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, the DHQ said the attackers behind the Oyo abduction were members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) terrorist group displaced by sustained military offensives across the country.

“The recent incidence of kidnapping 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 read.

The DHQ denied reports suggesting it referred to terrorists operating in the South-West as ordinary criminals, insisting that such interpretations were inaccurate and misleading.

“It is therefore inaccurate and misleading to suggest that the Defence Headquarters, at any point, referred to vicious and violent terrorists as criminals,” Onoja stated.

The military said its earlier clarification on security developments in the South-West was aimed at providing intelligence-based context to avoid misinformation and unnecessary panic among residents.

It also stressed that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remained committed to supporting constitutional governance and protecting democratic institutions.

“At no time did the Defence Headquarters undermine the authority of any democratically elected leader or seek to diminish the gravity of the heinous crime committed against innocent citizens by terrorist elements,” the statement added.

The DHQ further disclosed that troops remained actively deployed across affected areas in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders to dismantle terrorist and criminal networks threatening national peace and stability.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability and unity of the nation,” the statement said.

The clarification followed recent attacks on communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers and other residents from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle.

The incident also left several persons dead, while one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was later killed after a video linked to the attack surfaced online. (Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)

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