The kidnapped pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom after their captors allegedly abandoned them deep inside a forest while fleeing from a sustained security operation, a military source has said.
According to the source, the rescue followed several days of ground assaults by a joint task force, which advanced into the forest from multiple directions and engaged suspected kidnappers in a series of armed encounters before locating the hostages.
A security source familiar with the operation told SaharaReporters on Friday that the pressure mounted by the security forces forced the kidnappers to scatter, leaving the schoolchildren and teachers behind as troops closed in on their positions.
“What happened was that while the soldiers were trekking through the forest searching for where the children were being held, they kept encountering some of the kidnappers on different routes and neutralising them,” the source said.
“Initially, they thought the kidnappers would all be together with the children. But as the operation intensified, they discovered that the kidnappers had split into different groups and were fleeing through different routes.”
The source said local vigilantes also played a major role in the operation by providing intelligence about the terrain and identifying areas believed to be occupied by criminal elements.
“The local vigilantes gave them useful information. They told them that anyone found in that section of the forest was most likely part of the criminal network because innocent people don’t operate there,” the source said.
“That intelligence helped the security team. Some of the kidnappers exchanged gunfire with the troops, while others escaped through different routes.”
The source added that the rescue operation lasted for days, with security personnel combing large stretches of forest before eventually reaching the location where the victims had been held.
“They had been inside the bush for days carrying out the operation. They continued combing the forest until they eventually got to where the children and teachers were being kept,” the source said.
By the time the rescue team arrived, the kidnappers had reportedly fled.
“When they finally got there, there wasn’t a single kidnapper left. They had abandoned the children and teachers and escaped through different routes because of the pressure from the security operation,” the source added.
“They had already met some of the kidnappers on the way and killed some of them. The remaining ones fled, leaving the victims behind because they could no longer safely move them.”
The source said the operation was carried out by a joint security task force comprising troops of the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division, operatives of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Tactical Team, personnel of the Nigeria Police Force Air Wing, and the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
“It was a joint task force. But the people who really led the operation were the NSA Special Squad, although military personnel and other security agencies also participated because they were all working under the coordination of the National Security Adviser,” the source added.
Earlier on Friday, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that all the kidnapped pupils and teachers had been rescued.
In a post on his verified X account, Onanuga wrote: “Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo have been rescued by our security agencies.”
He added: “One of the rescued teachers in Oyo sends a thank you message to President Tinubu and the security agencies.”
In another update shared online, Onanuga said that “in the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in DSS custody, while some of them were neutralised”.
“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. The security agencies will give full account soon,” he said.
The rescue ends a traumatic ordeal that began on May 15, 2026, when armed bandits invaded three schools in Oriire Local Government Area and abducted more than 39 pupils and teachers in one of the most alarming school attacks recorded in Oyo State.
The mass abduction drew widespread condemnation and renewed public concern over insecurity around schools across the country. The situation worsened after one of the abducted teachers was beheaded by the kidnappers, heightening fear for the safety of the remaining captives and intensifying pressure on security agencies to secure their release.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government and security agencies had not issued a detailed official account of the rescue operation.
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