Kidnapped Oyo Pupils, Teachers Finally Rescued, Presidency Releases Photos

• President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, announced that all kidnapped pupils and teachers from Oriire LGA in Oyo state had been rescued by security agencies
• Armed men had abducted 39 students and several teachers from three schools in the Ahoro Esinele community on May 15, 2026, in a coordinated attack
• The rescue came nearly two months after the mass abduction, which drew international attention and prompted a joint military, police and vigilante operation

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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering security matters and counter-insurgency in Nigeria and Africa.

Ibadan, Oyo state - The schoolchildren and teachers seized by terrorists in an infamous mass abduction from schools in Oyo state have been freed, President Bola Tinubu's spokesperson confirmed on Friday, July 10, 2026.

Legit.ng reports that Bayo Onanuga, who speaks for the president, posted the announcement on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, stating that security agencies had successfully rescued everyone taken captive.

The presidential spokesperson tweeted:

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"Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies."

How did Nigerians react to Oyo abduction?

The rescue closes a nearly two-month ordeal that began on May 15, 2026, when armed men launched a simultaneous assault on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esiele, within the Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area (LGA). Police described the assault as a coordinated attack. The victims included 39 students and some teachers, with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Oyo state putting the total at 46 persons, most of them children aged between two and 16 years.

Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that one teacher was killed in custody, citing video evidence that emerged during the unfortunate incident.

A joint operation involving soldiers, police officers and local vigilantes was disrupted on Friday, May 15, when the assailants planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the rescue route, leaving several personnel wounded. Those injured were taken for medical treatment, according to Governor Makinde.

Oyo abduction: What was Tinubu's vow?

President Tinubu had condemned the attacks as "barbaric" shortly after the abductions and pledged that the federal government was working alongside Oyo state authorities to bring the victims home.

Tinubu said at the time:

"We expect a breakthrough soon."

The Oriire incident was among the most alarming kidnapping cases to strike Nigeria's southwest, a region that had largely been spared from the school abductions more commonly associated with the north.

As Reuters reported, mass kidnappings by armed criminal groups have grown into a significant security challenge across Nigeria, with gangs increasingly targeting students, travellers, and rural communities in exchange for ransom payments.

Read the presidency's announcement on X about the rescue of the Oriire abductees, along with the accompanying photos, below:

Read more Oyo state news

• NDLEA arrests Mexican, 4 others, dismantles industrial-scale Meth laboratory in Oyo forest
• Sunday Igboho spits fire, threatens deadly action against kidnappers in fresh video
• Tension in Oyo state as University of Ibadan student is abducted

Abductor reveals reason for kidnapping Oyo children

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Umaru Usman, one of the suspects arrested by operatives of the Oyo State Police Command over the abduction of two children in Ebinpejo village via Lanlate, Ibarapa East LGA, claimed that black magic influenced his alleged involvement in the crime.

According to the police, the suspects fled after exchanging gunfire with security operatives, with at least one sustaining gunshot wounds. Usman, 25, was subsequently arrested.