More than 40 kidnapped children and teachers freed after Nigerian army operation

Nigeria’s military announced that it has secured the release of 44 pupils and teachers who were seized two months earlier from schools in Oyo state, and that several of their abductors have been taken into custody. The freed individuals are currently receiving medical care at an undisclosed facility and will be returned to their families at a later date, according to service spokesperson Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, whose statement was issued on Friday evening. A teachers’ national body described the outcome as a relief, while relatives said the ordeal has been harrowing and they remain awaiting reunion with their loved ones. The military confirmed that some of its personnel died during the month‑long rescue operation, which involved the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and local vigilante groups. Officials said they identified those responsible for the abduction, dismantled the kidnappers’ network—including informants and hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park forest—and arrested a number of suspects. The forest is one of several large, inaccessible areas used by criminal gangs and jihadist factions as hideouts. The service did not disclose how many militants were killed or how many suspects remain at large, but it said further operations are planned. The victims were taken on 15 May from three schools in the Osiire locality of Oyo state: Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School and Community Grammar School. No official confirmation of the children’s ages has been given, although pupils at such institutions in Nigeria are typically between two and eighteen years old. Prof Wole Alamu told the BBC, “It was a harrowing experience… but we convey God that it ended well.” He added that his wife, Rachael Folawe Alamu, headteacher of Community Grammar School, said the family had found it especially difficult to view videos released by the abductors showing her and other teachers and pupils. “We are blessed that they are retired and we are grateful to everybody who has contributed successful 1 mode oregon the different for the release,” Prof Alamu said. Hassan Ajibola, who leads the Oyo State Teachers’ Union, described himself as “happy and elated” and said he felt immense “joy,” but urged the authorities to fully implement stronger security measures as outlined in the Safe School Initiative launched more than a decade ago after the Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping. He recommended deploying security units to schools, installing CCTV, conducting regular patrols, fencing school premises and employing local security groups to cover areas suffering from personnel shortages. Lawmakers and rights groups have repeatedly called for an investigation into how the funds for the Safe School Initiative have been spent, citing the persistent wave of school kidnappings across the country. The Oyo incident attracted particular attention because of the number of victims and because it occurred in the predominantly Christian southwest, a region where such attacks are less common than in the mainly Muslim north.