By Joke Kujenya
How Intelligence, Special Forces ended 57 days of captivity for Oyo schoolchildren and teachers . . .
FIFTY-SEVEN harrowing days after gunmen stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting pupils, teachers and a school principal, a painstaking multi-agency security operation finally brought every captive home alive, ending weeks of anxiety that had gripped families, schools and the nation.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the successful operation, announced by the Presidency on July 10, marked the climax of an intelligence-driven mission that combined aerial surveillance, special operations forces and coordinated ground assaults across difficult terrain where the abductors had hidden their captives.
According to details released after the rescue, the operation involved elite personnel from the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NNSBS), Defence Headquarters Special Operations Forces (DHSOF), Nigerian Army Special Operations Force (NASOF) snipers, the Office of the National Security Adviser Special Operations (ONSASO) team, the Police Intelligence Response Team (PIRT) and specialised operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The ground offensive was reinforced by aerial intelligence provided through the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) alongside United States Air Force Intelligence (USAFI), Surveillance and Reconnaissance (SR) assets, enabling security agencies to narrow the kidnappers’ movements inside the vast Old Oyo National Park (OONP).
Authorities disclosed that eight suspected kidnappers were arrested during the operation and are now in the custody of the DSS, while several others were neutralised.
The Presidency also confirmed that no ransom was paid, and no concession was granted to the kidnappers despite their reported demand for the release of a detained gang leader currently facing prosecution.
The operation effectively brought to an end one of Oyo State’s most traumatic kidnapping incidents in recent years.
How It All Started
On the morning of May 15, 2026, the ordeal began when armed men invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele communities, killing one teacher during the attack.
Another teacher later died by being beheaded while in captivity, deepening public grief and intensifying pressure on both state and federal authorities.
Altogether numbering between 46 to 49 individuals, including pupils, teachers, a toddler, and a school principal, they were held bound in captivity for the duration of about 56 to 57 days, until their rescue came yesterday, July 10, 2026.
Gov Makinde Applaud Maintains No-negotiation Stance
As public outrage mounted, Governor Seyi Makinde maintained that the government would not negotiate from a position of weakness while assuring families that every lawful effort was being deployed to secure the victims’ freedom.
Teachers staged protests, while the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declared an indefinite strike to demand stronger action.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently ordered an expanded rescue operation, deployed specialised security assets and approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards as part of broader efforts to improve security around vulnerable communities.
As intelligence improved, Governor Makinde later disclosed that investigators had established the captives were being held within the expansive OONP where thick vegetation and difficult terrain complicated rescue efforts.
Consequently, security planners relied on sustained surveillance, intelligence gathering and coordinated tactical movements before launching the final operation that secured the release of every hostage.
The Presidency described the outcome as the product of careful planning rather than hurried intervention, emphasising that the rescue was completed without compromising ongoing prosecutions or rewarding criminality.
The operation is expected to provide investigators with fresh intelligence through the suspects already in custody as security agencies continue efforts to dismantle kidnapping networks operating across the region.
Victims Return Home After 57 Days of Fear as Families Welcome Survivors
ORIiRE, Oyo State: For families who counted each passing day with uncertainty, the return of the abducted pupils and teachers ended nearly two months of anguish, unanswered questions and constant hope that their loved ones would eventually walk free.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that the abductees regained their freedom after spending almost eight weeks in captivity following the attack on three schools in Oriire LGA.
Throughout the period, parents, teachers and residents lived through repeated waves of anxiety as security agencies intensified rescue efforts while government officials appealed for patience and credible information that could aid ongoing operations.
Also, the emotional burden was worsened by the deaths of two teachers, one during the initial attack and another while in captivity, turning what began as a mass abduction into a tragedy that united communities in grief.
Following the rescue, one of the freed teachers, in a video released after the operation, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the security agencies for securing their freedom, describing the rescue as the moment that finally ended weeks of uncertainty.
For many families, the return of the abductees also represented far more than the conclusion of a security operation.
It marked the restoration of hope after weeks of fear that schoolchildren taken from their classrooms might never return.
In the same vein, the rescue also renewed conversations about school safety, intelligence gathering and the protection of rural communities that have increasingly become targets of organised criminal groups.
Promptly, President Bola Tinubu shifted his attention to prompt medical and emergency care, trauma counselling and the reintegration of the rescued pupils and teachers.
He also urged security authorities to continue investigations into the kidnapping network following the arrest of eight suspects during the operation.
Other government officials have also maintained that those responsible must be made to face prosecution as efforts continue to prevent similar attacks on schools across the country.
On the other hand, authorities say efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the kidnapping network.
As at the time of this report, rescued pupils and teachers have since been reunited with their families, bringing an end to one of Oyo State, nay, Nigeria’s most closely watched kidnapping cases in recent months, JKNewsMedia.com reports.
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