There are operations that may never make the headlines.
There are victories won not just with firepower, but with strategy, intelligence and patience.
The rescue of the Orire teachers and pupils is one of such.
Now that the story is everywhere, let me share what I know.
This was far more than a routine security operation.
It was a carefully coordinated intelligence mission that systematically dismantled the kidnappers’ confidence and bargaining power.
The timeline; it sounds like something from a thriller movie.
Phase One:
Security agencies painstakingly identified the network behind the kidnapping and tracked the relatives of those allegedly involved across several states, including Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Zamfara and Oyo.
This was after so many weeks of negotiations and persuasions with the kidnappers making demands for the release of their members being held by Nigerian government for acts of terrorism.
Phase Two:
Those family members were taken into protective custody, sending a clear message to the kidnappers that the game had changed.
Phase Three:
The kidnappers were reportedly informed that any harm done to the teachers or pupils would have grave consequences for their own families. Some of those kidnappers had more than one member with our security men.
Phase Four:
The detained relatives appealed directly to the kidnappers, urging them to release the innocent captives and save everyone from a tragic outcome.
At that moment, the psychological balance shifted.
The kidnappers, who had relied on fear and leverage, suddenly found themselves under immense pressure.
The hunters became the hunted.
Their confidence crumbled, their options narrowed, and the initiative moved decisively to Nigeria’s security forces.
This intelligence-led security operation—where precision, coordination and psychological strategy has achieved what brute force alone often cannot.
The safe return of the teachers and pupils is the outcome that truly matters. It is also a reminder that many successful security operations are won long before the public hears about them.
Kudos to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the armed forces, intelligence agencies and every security operative who played a role in bringing these innocent Nigerians home safely.
Kudos to everyone who prayed and hoped.
May this mark another step toward making kidnapping an increasingly costly and futile enterprise in Nigeria.
From the wall of Lara Wise FcaiHOW
