The pupils and teachers abducted in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom.
The development was disclosed on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Security sources confirmed that, during the operation, at least nine of the bandits were neutralized, bringing to an end the nearly two months in captivity of the children and their teachers.
In a post shared on his verified X handle, Onanuga simply stated that the victims had been rescued from their abductors.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies,” he wrote.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area.
The abduction sparked nationwide outrage following the reported killing of a teacher during the attack, which prompted President Bola Tinubu to order an intensive security operation involving the police, intelligence agencies and other security forces to secure the victims’ release.
The Federal Government had repeatedly assured the families and the Oyo State Government that every available resource would be deployed to rescue the victims safely, while President Tinubu also approved additional security measures, including the recruitment of forest guards for the state to strengthen security in vulnerable communities.
As of the time of this report, details surrounding the victims’ release, including the circumstances of their freedom and their medical condition, have not yet been disclosed by the authorities.
A source disclosed that a joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army and Police, backed with intelligence from the Department of State Services (DSS) rescued all the school children and their teachers from the armed bandits.
According to the sources, the joint security forces, relying on intelligence from the DSS, swooped on the abductors early Friday morning.
The victims, made up of school children and their teachers, the sources said, are on their way to Ibadan to meet the state governor, Seyi Makinde.
The armed bandits reportedly linked to a Boko Haram faction—abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers during coordinated morning raids on three schools in the Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele communities of Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State. Sadly, a mathematics teacher in Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, Michael Oyedokun, who was among those kidnapped, was later beheaded by the bandits.
