Oyo Police Reject False News on Rescued Abducted Schoolchildren and Teachers

The Oyo State Police have rejected claims spreading on social media that the schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped from Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Orire Local Government Area have been rescued.

On Thursday, Olayinka Ayanlade, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), told PREMIUM TIMES that the claim is not true.

“It is unfounded, it is untrue, and it is false,” Mr Ayanlade said.

This claim became popular through a now-deleted Facebook post by Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs. The post said that all the abducted pupils and teachers were freed during a joint operation involving the military, police, and forest rangers.

“In a major victory for security forces and a huge relief for families across Nigeria, all 42 students and 7 teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area on May 15 have been safely rescued in a daring joint operation early this morning,” the post stated.

The post also claimed that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had called off its indefinite strike, which began on June 1, after the supposed rescue of the victims.

In response, Mr Ayanlade issued a statement saying that while efforts to rescue the victims are ongoing, there has been no successful rescue. He urged the public to ignore the false news.

“Security operatives are working tirelessly, deploying all available human and operational resources to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers, their unharmed reunification with their families, and the apprehension and prosecution of all those responsible for the heinous act,” the statement said.

Mr Ayanlade did not provide more details but insisted that the claim of a successful rescue operation is incorrect.

The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when armed men attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso, taking about 39 pupils and 7 teachers.

This incident caused a lot of anger across Oyo State and raised concerns about the safety of schools. As of Wednesday, the victims have been in captivity for about 19 days, with families, education stakeholders, and residents waiting anxiously for their release.