All pupils, students and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been rescued after spending 56 days in captivity.
The victims regained their freedom on Friday following weeks of coordinated operations by security agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and other security outfits.
According to security sources, several suspected kidnappers were neutralised during the operation, while eight others were arrested and are currently in DSS custody.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when heavily armed bandits attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele, abducting 46 people, including 39 pupils and students and seven teachers. One of the teachers was later killed while in captivity.
Sources familiar with the operation said the abductors had held the victims inside the Old Oyo National Park, a protected forest reserve linked to the Kainji National Park. The operation reportedly involved disrupting the kidnappers’ food supply and arresting some of their collaborators outside the forest, weakening the group’s ability to sustain the captives and negotiate.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the rescue in a post on X.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” he wrote.
Providing further details, Onanuga said eight suspected kidnappers had been arrested while others were neutralised during the operation. He also dismissed claims that the victims were released through negotiations or a prisoner exchange.
“There was no quid pro quo in the rescue as one of the terrorists, a kingpin, that the kidnappers demanded his release, is being prosecuted for his atrocities,” he stated, adding that security agencies would provide a full account of the operation.
In a video shared by the presidential aide, the Vice Principal of Community Grammar School, Alamu Folawe, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies for securing their freedom.
“We are grateful for your commitment to our safety. Every security operative tried so much, and that is why we are alive today. Thank you very much,” she said.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Olugbenga Abimbola, also confirmed the rescue, saying further details of the operation would be released later.
Governor Seyi Makinde had earlier described the abduction as evidence of changing security challenges in the country, warning that sustained military operations against terrorists in the North-West were forcing criminal groups to migrate southwards. He also disclosed that security personnel searching for the victims encountered improvised explosive devices planted by the abductors, leaving some operatives injured.
The kidnapping sparked nationwide condemnation and protests led by civil society organisations, including the Take-It-Back Movement, while the Nigeria Union of Teachers organised demonstrations and declared a strike in Oyo State over the worsening insecurity in schools.
The Defence Headquarters had identified the abductors as dislodged Boko Haram members. Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, said the terrorists intended to use the abducted pupils and teachers as leverage to demand the release of one of their detained commanders and had threatened to kill the captives if security forces attempted a rescue.
President Bola Tinubu had condemned the attack, directed security agencies to intensify intelligence-led rescue efforts, deployed specialised rescue assets to the state and approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards to strengthen security across Oyo State.
Friday’s successful operation brought an end to one of Nigeria’s most closely watched school abduction cases in recent months, with authorities expected to provide a comprehensive briefing on the rescue mission and the condition of the freed victims.