By Princess Gloria Fraser MFR
The call by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replicate the intelligence-led operation that secured the release of the abducted pupils and teachers of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State is not merely a northern demand; it is a national challenge. Every Nigerian child, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or geography, deserves the same urgency, determination and operational excellence that brought 44 abducted pupils and teachers home after 56 harrowing days in captivity. If the Oriire operation has demonstrated anything, it is that Nigeria possesses the capacity to rescue its citizens. The challenge before the nation now is how to reproduce that success across every part of the country still under the shadow of terrorism and mass kidnapping.
The Oriire rescue was far more than another security operation. It represented one of Nigeria’s most significant intelligence-led hostage rescue missions in recent years. The operation reportedly brought together the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the National Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and other security assets in a coordinated mission that eventually secured the freedom of the abductees without the payment of ransom. It demonstrated the value of patience, intelligence gathering, inter-agency coordination and political leadership.
It also demonstrated something equally important: military power alone rarely wins the battle against terrorism.
The ACF is therefore right to challenge the Federal Government to replicate the Oriire model in Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Kwara and every other state where innocent Nigerians remain in captivity. Senator Ali Ndume echoed that appeal after the Oyo rescue, urging the military to extend similar attention to Borno where dozens of citizens, including schoolchildren, are still being held by terrorists. The demand is legitimate because every Nigerian life carries equal constitutional value.
However, replicating the Oriire operation requires far more than deploying additional troops or issuing presidential directives. Counter-insurgency experts across the world have long argued that intelligence, local cooperation and community trust are the decisive ingredients in defeating insurgency. Where terrorists enjoy freedom of movement, access to intelligence, local logistics or protection through fear and intimidation, military operations become infinitely more difficult.
That distinction is central to understanding why security conditions differ across Nigeria.
The Southwest has certainly experienced kidnapping, armed robbery and violent crime. Yet it has not developed the entrenched insurgent ecosystem that has confronted parts of the North-East and North-West for well over a decade. Communities in Oyo State responded to the Oriire abduction with extraordinary unity. Families refused to allow the tragedy to disappear from public attention. Traditional rulers, religious leaders, labour unions, civil society organisations, professional groups and the media sustained pressure throughout the 56-day ordeal. Every passing day increased the national determination that the children must return alive.
Equally significant was the cooperation between President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde despite belonging to different political parties. Security operations were not reduced to partisan competition. Instead, the rescue became a common national objective. That unity sent a powerful message to the security agencies that failure was not an option.
The lesson is profound. Intelligence-led operations flourish where governments, security agencies and communities work towards one objective.
This does not mean northern communities are indifferent to the suffering of their people. On the contrary, thousands of northerners have paid the ultimate price resisting Boko Haram, ISWAP and bandit groups. Soldiers, traditional rulers, Islamic clerics, community volunteers, farmers and ordinary citizens have kbeen murdered because they refused to submit to terrorist violence.
Yet years of relentless conflict have also created conditions that are fundamentally different from those that existed in Oriire.
In many affected rural communities, terrorists have established long-standing networks sustained by fear, coercion and, in some instances, local collaboration. Security agencies have repeatedly warned about intelligence leaks that compromise military operations. Criminal groups exploit difficult terrain, porous borders and isolated settlements. In some locations, villagers cooperate because they fear immediate reprisals; in others, criminal economies built around kidnapping, cattle rustling and illegal mining have created financial incentives that sustain insecurity. These realities do not excuse terrorism, but they illustrate why defeating it requires more than conventional military deployments.
The scale of the challenge confronting the Armed Forces also deserves recognition. During coordinated insurgent attacks across Borno earlier this year, security reports estimated that more than one hundred soldiers were killed within days, while independently verified international reporting confirmed at least dozens of fatalities. Senior officers have been killed in ambushes, military formations have come under repeated assault and sophisticated weapons have been seized by insurgent groups. These are not merely tactical setbacks; they reveal the operational complexity of fighting an enemy that has spent years embedding itself within difficult terrain and exploiting intelligence advantages.
The Oriire operation therefore offers Nigeria an important lesson. It shows what becomes possible when intelligence superiority shifts decisively in favour of the state. The question before the nation is how to create those same conditions wherever terrorism still thrives.
One of the most instructive lessons from the Oriire operation is that successful counter-insurgency begins long before the first soldier enters the battlefield. It begins with intelligence. Intelligence, in turn, depends on trust between communities and security agencies. Terrorists rarely operate in complete isolation. They require food, fuel, medicine, logistics, informants, safe routes, financial networks and local knowledge. The moment those support systems collapse, their operational capability begins to diminish.
This is where the real national conversation should begin.
The challenge before communities affected by terrorism is not merely to demand more troops but to become active partners in defeating those who have held them hostage for years. Every community must deny terrorists sanctuary, expose criminal collaborators and reject every attempt to normalise kidnapping, banditry and violent extremism. Fear is understandable, but history demonstrates that insurgencies are ultimately defeated when citizens, traditional institutions, religious leaders, civil society organisations and governments unite behind one objective.
International experience supports this conclusion.
Colombia’s decades-long war against the FARC insurgency began to turn when improved intelligence, sustained military pressure and stronger community cooperation deprived insurgents of the freedom to operate. In Iraq, the Sunni Awakening transformed the fight against Al-Qaeda when tribal leaders openly rejected extremist violence and began sharing intelligence with government forces. Rwanda rebuilt social stability after one of history’s darkest tragedies through strong institutions, community participation and national reconciliation. In each case, military operations succeeded because society itself rejected violent extremism.
Nigeria is no different.
The country cannot expect security agencies alone to defeat terrorism if criminal networks continue to enjoy intelligence, logistics and concealment within affected environments. Equally, communities should never be abandoned to confront terrorists without adequate protection. Government must guarantee the safety of those who provide intelligence, strengthen witness protection, improve surveillance technology, deploy more special forces, expand aerial reconnaissance, improve border security and intensify intelligence-led operations. The Oriire rescue has demonstrated that such capabilities already exist within Nigeria’s security architecture.
The operation also reinforced another important lesson: political unity saves lives.
Throughout the 56-day ordeal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde maintained a cooperative relationship despite belonging to different political parties. There was no public contest over credit while innocent children remained in captivity. The rescue became a national mission rather than a political contest. That example deserves emulation across Nigeria because terrorism recognises neither political party nor ethnicity.
The media equally has a responsibility. Responsible journalism keeps public attention focused on victims without compromising operational security. The sustained national attention given to the Oriire abductees ensured that their plight never disappeared from public consciousness. Every Nigerian child held captive deserves the same visibility and national concern, whether in Oyo, Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna or Kwara.
The Arewa Consultative Forum was therefore right to ask President Tinubu to replicate the Oriire rescue model. The Federal Government should indeed deploy every available intelligence and operational resource to secure the freedom of every Nigerian still held by terrorists.
But there is an equally important challenge for political leaders, traditional rulers, religious authorities, opinion moulders and communities across every affected region.
Terrorism cannot become a permanent feature of national life. Criminality must never be explained away as culture, poverty, destiny or an unavoidable consequence of geography. Every influential voice must speak clearly and consistently against those who murder soldiers, abduct schoolchildren and destroy rural communities. Silence, fear and social accommodation only prolong the suffering of innocent citizens.
The ultimate lesson from Oriire is therefore not simply that Nigeria successfully rescued abducted schoolchildren. It is that the operation demonstrated what becomes possible when intelligence, political leadership, community vigilance, inter-agency coordination and national determination converge behind a single objective.
President Tinubu has been challenged to replicate that success across Nigeria.
He should accept that challenge.
Governors should equally accept theirs.
Traditional rulers should accept theirs.
Religious leaders should accept theirs.
Communities should accept theirs.
The Armed Forces and security agencies have shown that they possess the professionalism, courage and operational capacity to execute complex rescue missions under extremely difficult circumstances. What they require in return is an environment where communities reject terrorism completely, intelligence flows freely and criminals are denied every opportunity to hide behind fear, silence or divided loyalties.
The successful Oriore hostage rescue demonstrates the courage, professionalism, and coordination of Nigeria’s security forces.
The National patriots advocates replicating this model nationwide through improved intelligence sharing, rapid response capabilities, community cooperation, and modern security strategies to protect lives, strengthen national unity, restore public confidence, and enhance national security.
The Oriire operation should therefore not be remembered merely as the successful rescue of 44 pupils and teachers. It should be remembered as a national blueprint for defeating kidnapping and terrorism through intelligence-led operations supported by united communities and courageous political leadership.
Every Nigerian child still in captivity deserves nothing less.
Princess G Adebajo-Fraser MFR
President, The National Patriots.
Special Adviser to Former President Goodluck Jonathan.
