The Nigerian Army says sustained intelligence-led operations and the dismantling of a terrorist network culminated in the “unconditional release” of 44 pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that terrorists invaded the schools—Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community High School (Ahoro-Esinele) and L.A. Primary School (Ahoro-Esinele)—on 15 May, abducting a total of 46 people, comprising 39 students and seven teachers.
Unfortunately, one of the teachers, Adegboye Adesiyan, was killed on the spot, while another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was killed in captivity. This reduced the number of those finally released to 44.
The victims, who spent 56 days with their abductors, regained their freedom on Friday after what the authorities described as a month-long intelligence-driven operation involving security forces from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the State Security Service (SSS), the Nigerian Army and the police, among others.
President Bola Tinubu celebrated their release, praising security operatives for their “heroic” efforts. He also revealed that many of the terrorists were killed, while eight of them were arrested.
