Former Field Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Safe Haven, Major General Anthony Atolagbe (Rtd.), has urged Nigerians to understand that not every rescue operation will result in the arrest of kidnappers. He recently revealed that such missions should always prioritise saving lives, and Nigerians have been reacting.
Reacting to calls for transparency over the release of 24 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Major General Anthony Atolagbe said that concerns over abducted schoolchildren being released without any arrests are needless.
According to him, because a lot of things go down when JTF interacts with terrorists and bandits, neutralizing abductors might not necessarily be the priority every time.
He stated that Nigerians must know that rescue operations are fundamentally different from combat missions.
“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.
It’s not as if we are fighting a war against these guys; we are going on a rescue mission,” he said.
Citing an international example, Atolagbe recounted a 2002 operation in Russia where special forces tried to rescue 918 hostages in a cinema.
He concluded by saying that arresting the kidnappers eventually led to the loss of innocent lives because the abductors went as far as disguising themselves among 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.
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?
The commander on the ground has the best initiative at that moment to decide what to do and what not to do,” he added.
