By Admin.
All pupils, students and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom after spending 56 days in captivity, following a coordinated rescue operation by Nigerian security agencies.
The victims were rescued on Friday through a joint operation involving the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies. 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 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 killed while in captivity.
Security sources said the abductors held the victims inside the Old Oyo National Park, where security operatives weakened the gang by disrupting its food supply and arresting collaborators, paving the way for the successful rescue.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development, stressing that the victims were rescued through security operations and not negotiations or prisoner exchange.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Olugbenga Abimbola, also confirmed the rescue, adding that further details of the operation would be made public.
The abduction had triggered nationwide outrage, with civil society groups and the Nigeria Union of Teachers demanding stronger security in schools. President Bola Tinubu had ordered intensified intelligence-led rescue efforts and approved additional security measures, including the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Oyo State.
The successful operation marks the end of one of Nigeria’s most closely watched school abduction cases in recent months.
