Pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom, 56 days after they were seized.
The victims, 46 pupils and teachers including a secondary school principal, were abducted on 15 May 2026 during an attack on the schools. Days later, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the kidnappers, sparking nationwide protests by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other stakeholders demanding urgent government action.
Reports had indicated the kidnappers demanded the implementation of Sharia law, N1 billion paid into an account in the Benin Republic, and the release of some of their detained leaders.
However, Mrs Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, in a video released from captivity, dismissed claims that the kidnappers demanded a N1 billion ransom or the imposition of Sharia law in Nigeria.
Calls for rescue efforts intensified following a series of videos in which Mrs Alamu appealed to authorities to urgently negotiate the victims’ release, with several Nigerian celebrities also using their platforms to press the government and security agencies to act.
On Friday, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed the release in a post on his X handle, announcing that all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire had been rescued by security agencies.
