The 56-day ordeal of the 44 pupils and staff abducted from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State came to an end on Monday as the Nigerian military formally handed the rescued victims over to Governor Seyi Makinde.
The handover ceremony, held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Oyo State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, was attended by senior government officials, military commanders, other security chiefs and the rescued victims.
The event also provided details of the military operation that secured the victims’ release.
Presenting the survivors, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, said the rescue followed a sustained multi-agency offensive that tracked the kidnappers and dismantled their supply networks.
He disclosed that troops received information about the abduction at about 10 a.m. on May 15, 2026, while attending an event at the barracks, prompting the immediate deployment of personnel to the dense forests within the Old Oyo National Park, where the search and rescue operation began.
The GOC explained that initial rescue attempts by a joint team of soldiers, local hunters, and Amotekun operators were severely hindered by the impenetrable topography of the forest.
He said, “Because of the nature of the forest, how thick it is, we had drone teams, we have Nigerian Air Force following up, but in some of those areas, if you are under that place, you can’t even see rays of sunlight.
“This extreme atmospheric barrier compelled the military to rely entirely on a grueling, boots-on-the-ground operation deeper into the wilderness.”
The military chief emphasized that despite the immense emotional toll, mounting public pressure, and casualties suffered in early gun battles, where an officer and a soldier were lost, the military maintained a strict non-negotiation policy.
“We will never yield to terrorists’ request, we will not, and we will never do that,” Nnebeife declared firmly.
He explained further that, instead of chasing the bandits blindly through the bush, a massive joint task force, incorporating the Office of the National Security Adviser’s Special Unit, the National Counter Terrorism Unit, Defense Headquarters Special Forces, the Navy’s Special Boats Service, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and Civil Defense, shifted focus toward dismantling the network from the outside.
He added that, operatives tracked down fleeing gang members and informants in states as far as Adamawa and Kano.
The decisive blow was struck when the military completely isolated and blocked the terrorists’ primary logistics hub in Ashamu, a town in Oyo State.
“Squeezing their supplies finally broke the abductors’ resolve. It finally put pressure on them and it was now they willing to release unconditionally”, he added.
However, the military chief balanced the triumph of the handover with a sober warning regarding local security, revealing that intelligence gathered during the operation exposed instances of internal sabotage and compromise among local vigilantes and hunters.
“There can’t be security if the people are not part of it,” Nnebeife insisted, but noted that the army would sit down with the Governor and the Chief of Army Staff to reorganize the local forces because “even within our system, we have the bad ones among them” and investigations revealed “a lot of collaboration from them.”
Receiving the rescued pupils and teachers from the military, an emotional Governor Seyi Makinde expressed deep gratitude to the presidency and the security apparatus, strongly backing the GOC’s account and dispelling media rumors of government indifference.
Admitting to being deeply moved, the Governor noted that the state has historically enjoyed a peaceful atmosphere, making the abduction a highly unprecedented and shocking ordeal.
He added that the collective prayers and unrelenting voices of concerned citizens globally played a massive role in maintaining the momentum.
Governor Makinde immediately placed the survivors into the custody of a specialized medical team led by former UCH Chief Medical Director, Professor Temitope Alonge, requesting an additional 24 to 48 hours to finalize medical evaluations before the victims are fully integrated back into their respective homes.
Makinde said, “To the teachers, the students, I know it’s a long road to recovery. What you’ve passed through in 56 days, we cannot undo in 56 months. But I want to give you an assurance. I know that the Baptist school is not a government school. We will sit down with them. We don’t know what they want to do. We sure will sit down with them, but let me give you the assurance, both the teachers and the student from that particular school.
“The state government will do everything possible to ensure that there’s no disruption to your careers, and there’s no disruption to the education of those students.”
The atmosphere inside the executive chambers turned somber when the rescued Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Mrs. Racheal Alamu, spoke on behalf of the survivors.
She provided a chilling account of how the kidnappers deliberately weaponized psychological torture and cold-blooded murder to bend the state to their will, executing two teachers during their stay in the bush.
“Mr. Micheal was killed on the second day of our stay, but Deacon was k!lled on the first Sunday of June,” Mrs. Alamu said, her voice heavy with the memory of her colleagues.
“They k!lled them purposely because they felt that will force the hand of the government to give them whatever they want.”
Mrs. Alamu described the continuous psychological warfare used by the bandits to break their spirits.
“So many times they used fear to subdue us. At a point, they told us that the government would not be interested in our case again because they did not value us.”
Clinging to a fragile sense of hope throughout the two-month nightmare, she noted that it was only after their handover that the survivors realized they had not been abandoned.
“It was until we got out that we discovered that the whole world was interested in our case. We thought that we were a write-off,” she said.
Extending her deepest appreciation to the President, the Governor, and the security forces, she concluded, “We have scars already. We believe with time, we will heal. And we pray that those that lost their lives, God will console the family.”
It was gathered that the abductees were later moved to the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) Teaching hospital, Ogbomoso for further medical attention and monitoring.
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