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Presidency confirms DSS and military contacted bandits to secure church victims.
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Onanuga says rescuers avoided direct combat to prevent civilian casualties.
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Freed worshippers spent five days in captivity before coordinated rescue.
The Presidency on Monday disclosed that operatives of the Department of State Services and the military established direct contact with the bandits who abducted 38 worshippers from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku, in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that speaking on Arise Television, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said security agencies reached the armed group shortly after the attack and demanded the immediate release of the abducted victims.
He said, “After the incident happened, the DSS and the military were involved in the rescue efforts. They got in contact with the bandits to release those people unharmed, and finally, on Sunday, they were able to get them out.”
Onanuga maintained that the bandits complied because they understood the consequences of ignoring government instructions. He explained that security operatives deploy sophisticated tracking systems but often proceed cautiously to avoid endangering hostages, as kidnappers frequently use victims as shields.
He said, “The security people, at the risk of revealing how they work, have a way of tracking these people. They know what’s going on at any time. What sometimes restrains them from going after the kidnappers is the risk of collateral damage.”
Responding to questions on why the attackers were not confronted directly, despite killing two worshippers during the invasion, Onanuga said the government prioritised rescuing the victims alive.
He stated, “The first thing the government must do is get those people freed. That objective has been achieved.”
He added that the abductees were released because the bandits were aware of “the consequences of not listening to government demands.”
Onanuga noted that while the rescue operation had been completed, security agencies would take further action against the perpetrators. “The next level of action is for the security agencies, and I don’t want to pre-empt them,” he said.
The 38 worshippers spent five days in captivity before regaining freedom on Sunday following coordinated security operations.
