President Bola Tinubu has welcomed the successful rescue of the abducted school children and teachers from the Oriire community in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
He commended the collaborative efforts of the military, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force for successfully ending the victims’ 56-day captivity.
According to the President, the joint security operation resulted in the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers and the neutralization of several others, bringing immense relief to the victims, their families, and the entire country.
The President’s praise was communicated in a statement released on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy. In the briefing, Tinubu extended his deepest sympathies to the children, teachers, and their families for the severe trauma experienced during the prolonged hostage situation.
He also acknowledged the Oyo State Government for its seamless cooperation with federal authorities throughout the ordeal and urged local officials to enhance security measures around schools to avert future occurrences.
Furthermore, Tinubu mandated emergency response agencies to collaborate with the Oyo State Government to ensure the rescued individuals receive comprehensive medical care and necessary relief support during their recovery.
“I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Orire, Ogbomoso in Oyo State today after a military, police and intelligence-driven operation that neutralised some of the terrorists that perpetrated the evil act and the arrest of eight of them,” Tinubu stated.
“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation and the affected families in particular.
On behalf of the country, I express my gratitude to the officers and men of our armed forces, the intelligence agencies and the police for the safe rescue of the children and their teachers,” he added.
The President emphasized that his administration remains dedicated to ensuring justice is served, particularly for the victims and the family of a teacher who was killed by the captors.
“My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered.
I must commend the government of Oyo State for working cooperatively with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end,” the President affirmed.
The presidency officially announced the freedom of the victims on Friday evening, marking 57 days since their abduction by terrorists on May 15, 2026.
“Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, have been rescued by our security agencies,” Onanuga shared in a post on X.
The presidential aide confirmed that the eight detained suspects are currently in DSS custody.
He emphasized that the rescue operation involved absolutely no concessions or exchanges with the criminal gang.
He noted that a notorious kingpin, whose release had been demanded by the kidnappers, remains in state custody and is currently facing prosecution.
“In the course of the rescue operation, eight of the kidnappers were arrested and are now in DSS custody, while some of them were neutralised.
There was no quid pro quo in the rescue, as one of the terrorists, a kingpin whose release was demanded by the kidnappers, is being prosecuted for his atrocities. The security agencies will give full account soon,” Onanuga stated.
A video accompanying the official announcement showed a woman, identified as one of the rescued teachers, expressing her heartfelt appreciation to the President.
“Hello, sir, our father, we are grateful. Mr President, sir, we are grateful. We understand your commitment to our safety, and we appreciate all you did for us. We could see your hand in this.
Thank you very much. Every security operative tried so much, and that is why we are still alive today. We are very grateful to you. Thank you very much,” the teacher said.
