Former Field Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Anthony Magnawa Atolagbe (Rtd.), has urged Nigerians to understand that rescue missions are complex and often prioritise the safe return of victims over the arrest or elimination of kidnappers.
His remarks come amid growing calls for transparency following the release of 24 students abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State.
Speaking on ARISE News, Atolagbe said public concerns about the absence of arrests after schoolchildren are freed stem from a misconception of how rescue missions work.
“It is not in every case that you will have neutralised abductors. What plays out on the field is not paperwork. A lot happens when you interact with people of this nature.”
He stressed that rescue operations differ fundamentally from combat engagements.
“It’s not as if we are fighting a war against these guys; we are going on a rescue mission,” he said.
Drawing from international examples, he cited a 2002 rescue attempt in Russia where special forces stormed a cinema holding 918 hostages. “At the end of the day, many civilians died because of the tactics used. So it is not in every case that negotiations happen or that money is involved,” he noted.
Atolagbe explained that kidnappers often shield themselves within groups of victims, making any aggressive move risky.
“You want to get the children out safe and alive. When you meet these people inserted between the children, what do you do? They may tell you: ‘Allow us to pull out and then you can take your children.’ Would you insist on capturing them, or leave them for a later date since you already know where they operate?”
According to him, field commanders must make real-time decisions based on the situation before them.
“The commander on the ground has the best initiative at that moment to decide what to do and what not to do,” he said.
Atolagbe also reacted to the fresh wave of abductions in Kwara State, where at least 11 residents of Isapa community were reportedly kidnapped on Monday night, barely a week after 38 worshippers from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku, were abducted and later freed.
He warned that attacks can strike anywhere because Nigeria does not yet have the technology to monitor all its vulnerable locations.
“The conflict environment — what we call the protection environment — is very fluid. You can’t say it will happen here today or not happen there tomorrow. We don’t have the technology to cover the entire space.”
He praised President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police officers from VIP security details, saying this would free nearly 100,000 personnel for nationwide deployment.
Describing the terrain where the latest Kwara abduction occurred, Atolagbe said, “I passed that road recently; it is one of the slowest roads around. Even if you are driving by the grace of God, you may run into these people.” He added that the kidnappers struck opportunistically. “Vigilantes confronted them and sent them away, but as they escaped, they ran into some vehicles and took the passengers. It was an opportunity-type capture.”
He welcomed plans for a 24-hour security cordon in the forests of Kwara and Niger States, supported by Air Force surveillance assets.
“The Air Force has aircraft that can capture pictures on the ground and relay them straight to the operations room. The same goes for drones — depending on the number you deploy,” he said.
Atolagbe also pointed to international intelligence as a potential breakthrough.
“What I also see as a likely game-changer is America coming to our support. They have adequate information on the entire space covering the locations of these bandits. If they provide this information, it will be like walking straight in on them,” he said.
