The Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, has revealed that terrorists holding dozens of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State have threatened to kill the captives if troops attempt a military rescue.
Punch newspapers reported that Mr Musa disclosed this in a preview of an interview with News Central released on Wednesday ahead of the full broadcast scheduled for Friday.
He said the abductors are using the schoolchildren as bargaining chips to pressure the government into releasing some of their commanders currently in military custody.
“For whatever reason, they are looking for leverage because we have some of their commanders with us and they feel taking these kids and holding them to ransom will make us release their commander,” he said.
The identities of the terrorist commanders whose release the abductors are demanding were not immediately clear. However, PREMIUM TIMES understands that the abduction was carried out by Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction, which has previously pulled a similar tactic during the 2022 Kaduna train attack.
