All the schoolchildren and teachers abducted during the May 15 attack on the Ahoro-Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been rescued, bringing an end to a kidnapping incident that sparked nationwide outrage.
The victims were among 46 pupils, teachers and the principal of a secondary school who were abducted when heavily armed gunmen invaded the community, forcing the closure of schools and prompting widespread concern over security in the area.
The incident took a tragic turn days after the abduction when one of the kidnapped teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded by the kidnappers.
The successful rescue of the remaining victims was confirmed on Friday evening by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X.
Onanuga shared photographs of the rescued children, announcing that all the abducted pupils and teachers had regained their freedom following a security operation.
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.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement providing details of the operation, including the circumstances surrounding the victims’ rescue or the fate of the kidnappers.
