Pupils and teachers abducted in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State have regained their freedom after spending more than 50 days in captivity.
The development was confirmed on Friday by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post shared on his official đť•Ź account.
According to Onanuga, the victims were successfully rescued by security operatives after weeks of coordinated efforts to secure their release.
He wrote, “Finally, the abducted pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo, have been released by their abductors. Security forces have rescued kidnapped pupils and teachers in Orire, Oyo.”
Although details of the rescue operation were not immediately disclosed, the announcement has been welcomed by residents and concerned Nigerians who had followed the case since the victims were kidnapped.
Meanwhile, security agencies also recorded another breakthrough in Oyo State with the rescue of a couple who had been abducted by suspected kidnappers in the Oke-Ogun axis.
The victims, identified as Alhaji Busiru Booni and his wife, Alhaja Pitiku, were freed unharmed following a joint operation involving operatives of the Oyo State Police Command, the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters.
The couple was reportedly kidnapped on Saturday, July 5, 2026, after armed men stormed Tiro village in Irawo, fired gunshots to scare residents and whisked them away to an unknown destination.
The Oyo State Police Command said Commissioner of Police Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga immediately ordered a search-and-rescue mission after receiving reports of the incident.
Security personnel later engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun battle at their forest hideout, forcing the criminals to abandon the victims.
During the operation, security operatives also recovered a Bajaj motorcycle that had earlier been reported stolen and was later found abandoned in a nearby bush, as investigations continue.
