How Tinubu’s direct oversight led to daring rescue of 38 abducted Church members in Kwara
Fresh details have emerged on how President Bola Tinubu personally supervised the dramatic rescue of 38 kidnapped worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church in Kwara State, with insiders revealing that the president took full control of the operation from start to finish.
According to multiple sources, Tinubu received continuous briefings, evaluated strategic options, and insisted on a decisive response aimed at disproving claims that his administration was not doing enough to protect citizens, regardless of religion. His direct involvement, the sources said, activated an intensive intelligence-mapping exercise and aerial surveillance coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
This intelligence trail reportedly enabled Department of State Services (DSS) operatives to storm the identified hideouts deep within the Oreke Okeigbo forests in Ifelodun Local Government Area. The president was said to have given final approval for the joint Sunday operation carried out by the DSS and the Nigeria Air Force, which ultimately ensured the safe recovery of all abductees.
Though the operation was classified, sources could not confirm whether the kidnappers fled upon sensing the approach of security forces or were neutralised during the raid.
They also noted that the same axis had suffered an attack in June, when armed men killed two policemen at a marble mining site and abducted several Chinese workers, underscoring the area’s insecurity challenges.
A demographic breakdown of the rescued victims indicates that 26 were female and 12 male. The oldest was 67 years old, while the youngest was a five-year-old child. Other rescued children were aged six and nine, with additional victims being 10-year-olds, pre-teens, teenagers, and adults between 20 and 58 years.
Kwara Governor Thanks Tinubu, Security Agencies
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq praised President Tinubu for his decisive intervention, describing it as the reason the abductees—collectively referred to as the “Eruku 38”—regained their freedom.
Ajakaye said the president halted his planned trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa to prioritise the security breaches in Kwara and Kebbi, subsequently ordering reinforced deployments across the affected regions.
He added that the governor also extended gratitude to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the DSS, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, and the Nigeria Police Force, which deployed four additional tactical teams to Kwara on the president’s instructions.
The governor further thanked security personnel, community leaders, religious bodies, and citizens of the state for their support throughout the ordeal.
