The Presidency has confirmed the arrest of eight suspected kidnappers involved in the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers from Oriire community in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, following a coordinated security operation that also secured the safe rescue of the victims after 56 days in captivity.
President Bola Tinubu announced the development on Friday in a statement shared on the X account of his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the President, the joint operation, carried out by the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force, resulted in the arrest of eight suspects, while other members of the kidnapping gang were neutralised without harm to the abducted pupils and teachers.
Tinubu said, “I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire, 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.”
The President described the rescue as a major breakthrough, saying it brought an end to more than 50 days of uncertainty and anguish for the victims, their families and the nation.
He 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.”
Tinubu also vowed that those responsible for the abduction, including the killing of one of the abducted teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, would be brought to justice.
He said, “My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr. Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered.”
The President commended the Oyo State Government for its collaboration with the Federal Government throughout the rescue efforts.
He added, “I must commend the government of Oyo State for working cooperatively with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end.”
Tinubu further directed relevant emergency response agencies to work with the Oyo State Government to ensure the rescued pupils and teachers receive immediate medical attention, psychosocial care and other necessary relief support as they recover from their ordeal.
The victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, when suspected bandits attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, seizing 39 pupils, seven teachers and a toddler. Their rescue marks the end of one of the state’s most traumatic school kidnapping incidents in recent years.