Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu has explained why security agencies maintained silence throughout the 56-day captivity of pupils and teachers abducted from two schools in Oyo State, saying the decision was necessary to protect the victims and ensure a successful rescue operation.

Disu made the disclosure on Thursday while announcing a special 14-day security operation aimed at restoring peace in Benue State. He said authorities deliberately resisted public pressure to launch an immediate offensive against the kidnappers, warning that such action could have resulted in "collateral damage" and endangered the lives of the hostages.

"There is something they call collateral damage. People were forcing us. People were comparing us to other countries in the world. They wanted us to take hasty decisions," the IGP said.

The pupils and their teachers were abducted in May 2026 when suspected terrorists attacked two schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and whisked dozens of victims into a nearby forest.

They regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity following a coordinated rescue operation involving the Nigeria Police Force, the military, local vigilantes and aerial surveillance teams.

Addressing journalists, Disu said security agencies came under intense public criticism during the operation, with many Nigerians questioning the prolonged silence and comparing the country's response with rescue operations carried out elsewhere.

He explained that security chiefs deliberately refrained from commenting publicly because doing so could have compromised the operation and put the victims' lives at risk.

"Everybody was attacking us left and right. What is this? What is that? We could not come out and talk. We could not expose those children," he said.

The IGP revealed that the attackers escaped with the victims in a vehicle belonging to one of the head teachers before setting it ablaze at the entrance of the forest.

"That day, they went to two schools and kidnapped those children and their teachers. They used the vehicle of one of the teachers, the head teacher. When they got to the entrance of the bush they were going into, they set fire to the vehicle. We did not know why they did it," he said.

Disu said the rescue mission was further complicated by the remoteness of the affected communities, which lacked telecommunications coverage and were located far from the nearest police station.

"In that area, there is no network at all. I think even the police station is very far from them. They had only one road that goes to the two villages where this kidnapping happened," he explained.

According to the police chief, officers, soldiers and local vigilantes immediately launched a pursuit through the forest after the abduction.

He disclosed that one police officer was killed during the operation, expressing disappointment that the sacrifices made by security personnel went largely unnoticed.

"Policemen came, soldiers came and vigilantes came. They followed them through the path. Somebody was shot as we were following them. Nobody mentioned that. Nobody saw it. Nobody saw the effort we put in," he said.

Disu also revealed that helicopters operated by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Air Force were deployed to provide continuous aerial surveillance throughout the search.

"From that moment, the Nigerian Air Force helicopter, the police helicopter, everybody was there searching day and night," he added.

The IGP said senior security officials held late-night strategy meetings to assess intelligence and determine the safest approach to rescuing the hostages without exposing them to greater danger.

"We were holding meetings late in the night about it, trying to take decisions," he said.

He added that operational details were intentionally restricted—even among some security personnel—to prevent sensitive information from leaking to the kidnappers.

"Most of this, we did not come back and tell a lot of our colleagues because we wanted to keep it secret. Parties we could not attend. A lot of things happened, but we could not talk about them," Disu said.