Oyo School Kidnap Victims Yet To Be Freed, Police Clarify
Nearly one week after terrorists stormed three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting pupils, students, and teachers, the victims remain in captivity, with security agencies still engaged in rescue operations as misinformation about their release continues to circulate online.
The Oyo State Police Command confirmed on Friday that no victim had been freed, directly contradicting viral social media posts that had claimed otherwise. The Command’s spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayanlade Olayinka, made the disclosure in an official statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan.
“The Oyo State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that the abducted students, pupils, and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area are yet to be released, as intensive efforts by security agencies continue to ensure their safe rescue and the arrest of those responsible for the criminal act,” the statement read.
The Command described the spreading of unverified claims as counterproductive, warning that misinformation “only creates unnecessary panic, heightens tension, and diverts limited security resources that are critically needed for the ongoing operations.”
Abayomi Fagbenro, Special Adviser on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde, separately confirmed to the PUNCH that no release had taken place as of Thursday morning, adding weight to the police’s debunking of the viral posts. Reports claiming the victims had been freed had circulated since Wednesday night, with conflicting accounts triggering widespread confusion among families and the general public.
The coordinated attack occurred on May 15, 2026, when motorcycle-riding gunmen simultaneously descended on Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, all in the Ahoro-Esinle axis of Ogbomoso, during morning assembly when pupils were at their most vulnerable. An Assistant Headmaster, Mr. Adesiyan, was killed during the attack, and an Okada rider was shot dead for refusing to surrender his motorcycle to the fleeing assailants.
Governor Makinde confirmed that seven students were abducted from Community Grammar School, while 18 children and seven teachers were taken from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School.
A two-year-old toddler is reportedly among the 46 confirmed victims.
The tragedy deepened days later. By Sunday, May 17, a video surfaced online showing the beheading of abducted mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, described as a gruesome public message from the captors.
The Defence Headquarters has since formally attributed responsibility for the attack to a known terrorist network. In a statement signed by Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, the DHQ confirmed that the perpetrators were members of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad, formally known as Boko Haram, who had been dislodged from their strongholds in other parts of the country by intensified military operations.
“The recent incidence of kidnap in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS Group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the statement read, adding that “The Armed Forces of Nigeria remains resolute in dismantling all criminal and terrorist networks threatening the peace, stability and unity of the nation.”
The Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, had disclosed that suspected bandits had been “effectively confined within the National Park axis, following coordinated security operations aimed at preventing their movement into neighbouring states.”
Following the attack, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board ordered the temporary closure of schools in Oriire and surrounding local government areas, including Surulere, Oyo East, and Olorunsogo, to prevent further attacks and allow security agencies to stabilise the region.
Between January 2023 and late 2025, at least 816 pupils were abducted across 22 separate school attacks in Nigeria, placing the Oyo incident within a widening pattern of coordinated terror targeting educational institutions across the country.
The Police Command urged residents to contact the Police Public Relations Officer or the Command’s control room through officially provided numbers for verified information, as the joint security operation continues.