Olayiwola Matthew
The personal coordination by President Bola Tinubu of the strategies presented by heads of security agencies led to the successful rescue of all the 38 kidnapped church worshippers of Eruku, Ifelodun LGA, Kwara State by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at about 3.20 pm on Sunday, security sources have disclosed.
Several AK-47 – wielding men had last Wednesday invaded the Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, Kwara State, shooting at worshippers. At the end of the bloody attack which was inadvertently streamed live, two worshippers lay dead with several others wounded. The gunmen thereafter fled into the bushes with 38 other worshippers, triggering international outrage.
The dramatic rescue came as the state governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak, thanked President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as well as the DSS Director General, Oluwatosin Ajayi, and heads of other security services, for bringing relief to millions the world over who had been on edge for days.
The sources disclosed that the President had personally taken charge of coordinating the operations, taking round-the-clock briefings, weighing the options, and resolving to go to extreme lengths to prove wrong all those accusing his administration of not protecting Christians and non-Christians enough.
The sources further disclosed that the president’s personal involvement triggered an unprecedented intelligence mapping and aerial surveillance by Office of the NSA, resulting in DSS operatives swopping on established coordinates in the forests of Oreke Okeigbo, in Ifelodun LGA of Kwara State.
According to the sources, the president approved the Sunday raid by the DSS and the Nigeria Air Force, culminating in the rescue of the victims. The sources said the operation was highly classified, so couldn’t tell if the kidnappers fled on sighting the security operatives, or were eliminated.
The sources drew attention to the fact that some gunmen had in June attacked a marble mining company in the same area, killing two policemen, and kidnapped some Chinese workers.
A breakdown of the 38 rescued kidnapped church worshippers showed that 26 of them are females while the remaining 12 are males.
The oldest victim is 67 years old, while the youngest worshipper is five. Four other rescued victims are six, nine years old respectively. Two of them are 10 years old; three are in their pre-teens, four are teenagers, while the rest are between 20 and 58 years old, disclosed the sources.
A statement by Governor Abdukrazaq’s Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said his boss commended President Tinubu’s hands-on approach to making the “Eruku 38” regain freedom.
“The Governor says this is wholly due to the hands-on approach of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, who has personally led the efforts to free the abductees.
“The abductees were freed today, November 23. The Governor is immensely grateful to President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for his direct initiative that made this happen.
“The President had called off his scheduled trip for the G20 Meeting in South Africa to attend to the breaches in Kwara and Kebbi States. He had also directed heightened security deployments to Kwara, in what underlined his firm commitment to the safety and wellbeing of our people and Nigerians as a whole,” said the media aide.
“The Governor also expresses appreciation to the Office of the National Security Adviser; the Department of State Services (DSS); the Nigerian Army; Nigeria Intelligence Agency; and, of course, the Nigeria Police, which has graciously deployed four new tactical teams to Kwara State on the directive of the President,” he noted.
“The Governor also thanks members of the security forces across board, thought leaders, religious institutions, and all Kwarans for their support and goodwill since the unfortunate incident,” declared the governor’s spokesman.