Breaking: Army, DSS, Police Rescue All Abducted Oyo Schoolchildren, Teachers; Nine Bandits Killed
By Zagazola Makama
All the schoolchildren and teachers abducted during coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been rescued in a joint security operation involving the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS), intelligence sources have told Zagazola Makama.
Sources disclosed that the operation, carried out in the early hours of Friday, was intelligence-driven and followed weeks of sustained surveillance and coordinated efforts by security agencies to track the kidnappers’ hideouts.
According to the sources, troops and police operatives, acting on actionable intelligence provided by the DSS, stormed the bandits’ enclave, leading to a fierce gun battle during which at least nine of the abductors were neutralised.
The remaining members of the gang reportedly fled into nearby bushes with varying degrees of injuries, while all the kidnapped victims were rescued alive.
The rescued victims, comprising the schoolchildren and their teachers, are being evacuated to Ibadan, where they are expected to be formally received by Governor Seyi Makinde after undergoing preliminary medical examination and debriefing by security agencies.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15, 2026, when heavily armed assailants stormed three schools in the Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele communities of Oriire Local Government Area, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage and triggered an intensive multi-agency rescue operation.
One of the victims, Mr Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher at Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, was reportedly murdered by the abductors during their captivity.
Security sources said efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend the fleeing members of the criminal gang, while troops have intensified exploitation operations around the area to prevent the suspects from regrouping.
Further details are expected as security authorities conclude post-operation assessments.
