*The Nigerian Army discloses how Major-General Chinedu Raphael Nnebeife, General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, in Ibadan, Oyo State, coordinated an intelligence-led, carefully planned and executed operations by troops of the NA and operatives of other security agencies to rescue 44 abducted Oriire teachers and pupils from the Old Oyo Park forest July 10, 2026
Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect
The Nigerian Army (NA) has revealed how Major-General Chinedu Raphael Nnebeife, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the NA, Ibadan, in Oyo State capital, successfully led the month-long operations to rescue the 44 kidnapped Oriire teachers and pupils from the Old Oyo Park forest.
ConsumerConnect reports the suspected Ansaru terrorists has abducted the victims from their schools, in Ogbomoso, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Troops of the Nigerian Army combing the Old Oyo Park forest during the rescue operations Photo credit: TheCable
It is recalled that the kidnappers abducted the school teachers and pupils from Oriire community since May 15, 2026, until the troops of the Nigerian Army and several other security agencies rescued the victims, Friday, July 10, 2026, several weeks after the incident occurred.
Lieutenant-Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, Acting Deputy Director, 2 Division of the Army Public Relations, who affirmed this development in a statement Friday, said the operations involved troops of the Nigerian Army, who worked alongside operatives of other security agencies, the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters.
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Lieutenant-General Danjuma stated: “Following an intelligence-led, carefully planned and executed operations 10 July, 2026, troops of the Nigerian Army, led by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major-General C.R. Nnebeife, in collaboration with special units from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), specifically the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Defence Headquarters with Special Forces elements from the Nigerian Army, Navy, the Air Force and the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies, as well as local vigilantes, hunters and Amotekun, in a well-coordinated operation rescued a total of 44 pupils and teachers kidnapped by terrorists from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on 15 May 2026,” the statement read in part.
Major-General C.R. Nnebeife at a glance
Major-General C.R. Nnebeife is the 47th General Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Army, 2 Division, and Force Commander, Sector 3 of Operation Fansan Yamma.
Prior to the recent successful rescue of Oriire teachers and pupils from their abductors’ captivity, Major-General Nnebeife had led a similar successful operation to release mass kidnap victims.
A report noted: “Under his leadership, the (2) Division has actively engaged in multiple operations across its area of responsibility, including the successful rescue of kidnap victims in Kwara State in October 2025.”
The GOC of 2 Division, who hails from Anambra State, South-East Nigeria, was appointed into his current position August 19, 2025, to assume command at the Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, in Ibadan.
He has been described as a distinguished Military Officer, who previously held various Command and Staff appointments across the West African country, serving in both operational and administrative capacities.
Major-General Nnebeife is also described as someone “highly focused on troop welfare, frequently championing initiatives, such as the Nigerian Army Personnel Insurance Scheme to support personnel and their families.”
Another report said: “During his command tenure, he has actively decorated newly-promoted Officers, consistently charging them to adhere to core Military values like selfless service, integrity, and discipline in the Nigerian Army.”
Nnebeife remains a core professional, gallant Military Officer and hero
Recalling the GOC’s outstanding professionalism on Military assignments, as well as his endearing military-civilian relations over time, Mr. Gbenga Kayode, a former Corps Liaison Officer (CLO) of the 1999/2000 (First-Tier) of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, in Tofa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State, and Executive Editor of ConsumerConnect news publication and Web site, related his cordial relationship with Major-General Nnebeife during his National Service year in Northern Nigeria.
Kayode recalled how Major-General Nnebeife, then a Captain of the NA and Adjutant serving with then Major Adebola Adeola Adefarati, Commanding Officer (CO) of 5 Motorised Infantry Battalion (Rear) of the Nigerian Army, at Janguza Barracks, along Gwarzo Road, in Kano.
Adefarati, who later retired from the Nigerian Army as a veteran Brigadier-General in the Strategic Planning and Resilience Sector, is currently a National Security Specialist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Executive Editor of ConsumerConnect also correlated how Major-General Nnebeife, GOC of 2 Division, in Ibadan, accorded him and his 30 other fellow Corps members deployed to serve in Tofa town, Janguza Barracks, Lambu, and other locations within the LGA a warm welcome during their National Service in the state.
With nostalgia, Kayode particularly remembered the humane contributions and invaluable support of then Commanding Officer Adefarati, Nnebeife, and other great Military Officers/soldiers of 5 Motorised Infantry Battalion of the Nigerian Army to ensure Corps members’ success at their places of primary assignments in the Northern state.
According to him, the Military Officers actively participated in NYSC members’ community development programmes and initiatives while serving in Kano State.
Kayode simply described the Corps members’ cordial relationship with several gallant Officers and Men of the NA at the barracks as a “meaningful, memorable, selfless, and rewarding life-time experience” to cherish for a long time.
According to him, the Military Officers truly added value to the NYSC scheme with their generous permission to use the barracks’ facilities while ensuring the ultimate welfare of especially 17 Corps members that served in the Army Day Secondary School, in Janguza Barracks, Kano, during the period.
Several other Nigerians have equally described Major-General Nnebeife as the “hero of the Nigerian Army”.