Oyo Police Reject Rumors of Abducted Schoolchildren's Rescue

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

When PREMIUM TIMES called on Thursday, the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), Olayinka Ayanlade, called the claim false.

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

The claim went viral through a now deleted Facebook post linked to Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs. The post said all abducted pupils and teachers had been freed in a joint security 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,” part of the post read.

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

However, in a statement from the Oyo State Police, Mr Ayanlade said that while they are still working to rescue the victims, there has been no successful rescue, and he urged the public to ignore the report.

“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 read.

Mr Ayanlade did not give more details but confirmed that the claim of a successful rescue operation was wrong.

The abduction happened 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. It raised fresh concerns about the safety of schools and learning environments. As of Wednesday, the victims had been in captivity for about 19 days, with families, education stakeholders, and residents anxiously waiting for their release.