Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Monday in Ibadan received the 44 schoolchildren and teachers who were kidnapped on May 15, 2026 from Oriire Local Government Area (LGA) of the State but were rescued by security operatives last Friday.
The rescued victims, made up of pupils, students, and their teachers were handed over to the Governor by the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife.
Speaking during the handover, Governor Makinde expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of Nigeria’s security agencies for their swift response, stating that “incidents like this have happened across the country, but when it came to Oyo State, the whole world rose to the occasion. In over seven years as governor, this is the first time I’m witnessing something like this in Oyo State. I pray this is the last time.”
The Governor described the 56 days the victims spent in captivity as traumatic, noting that the road to recovery would be long.
“What they went through in 56 days cannot be undone in 56 months,” he added.
But Makinde assured the teachers and students that the State government would ensure their careers and education were not disrupted, adding: “We will keep supporting you, especially during this period.”
On their health, the Governor said the victims would remain under the care of the State government for 24 to 48 hours for medical evaluation, saying that their parents would be allowed access afterward.
“After this, we want to be sure you are medically okay and also ensure a safe reunion with your families. So, on behalf of the State, we now officially take responsibility for the teachers and students. The State government will provide all the necessary support,” the Governor declared.
Earlier, General Nnebeife, said the operation that led to the rescue of the 44 abductees was a month-long search, noting that the initial efforts on the day of the abduction yielded no results.
According to the GOC: “We opted to use ground operation to rescue the abducted schoolchildren children because the aircrafts and drones we used during our rescue operation couldn’t locate the abducted schoolchildren and teachers because if you’re under that place, you can’t even see rays of sunlight.
“During one of the operations, we lost two soldiers, and some others were wounded. One of them has a broken arm due to a gunshot wound. I took over the operation, and we had assistance from the NSA Nuhu Ribadu, who sent in the National Counter-terrorism unit.
“We also had the Defence Headquarters special forces, the Nigerian Police, DSS, Nigerian Airforce team from Kanji, troops from Operation Savannah Shield from Kwara State that did a blocking from the Northern side of the state, local vigilantes and Amoteken. We lost some hunters, too.
“The operation was a complex one, and it lasted for over a month. We focused on identifying the terrorist kingpins that masterminded the abduction and then started cutting off their logistics and informants at the Old Oyo National Park and other parts of the country.
“We looked for other members of their team and members of their families in Adamawa, Kano, and different parts of the country and got them, and this put pressure on the terrorists.
“During the last phase of the operation, we blocked their major logistics hub in Ashamu, and it finally made them to willingly release the schoolchildren and teachers unconditionally, but we insisted that it was not about releasing but seeing to end of the terrorists operating in the region.”