A former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, has praised the Department of State Services (DSS) for the recent rescue of 46 kidnapped pupils and teachers of a school in Oriire, Oyo State.
He described intelligence as key to all military operations, saying the intelligence supplied by the DSS greatly helped in the rescue operation.
In a statement he personally signed, Petinrin, a retired Four-star General, said he found the silence of the secret police before, during and after the rescue, impressive.
“While the side players were being eulogised and the main DSS actors responsible for the release were being ignored, the DSS kept silent,” noted the retired military officer.
He continued, “Students of military operations, including its planning and execution, know that intelligence is the grandfather of most successful operations.
But it is a fact that is not immediately obvious to many members of the public and even to some that have spent years in the military establishments.”
He noted, “The Oriire kidnap victims’ release was already being credited to the military until one of the released victims told the true story.
“They were released by the kidnappers, and no kinetic action was involved in that release. The kidnappers even told their victims why they were being released: members of the kidnappers’ families had been arrested and their videos were sent to the kidnappers,” he stated.
The former Defence Chief noted that the ability of the DSS to identify relatives of the kidnappers and to use such intelligence to turn the tide against the abductors, led to the success of the operation.
Petinrin, who also served as Chief of the Air Staff, said he was particularly impressed by the conduct of the DSS after the operation was considered by many as a huge success.
“That is the way of solid intelligence professionals. They keep mum after doing the job that leads to the success of operations and will not raise a whimper even when the wrong people are being credited for the job. I must say it again: intelligence is the grandfather of military operations,” he declared.