LAGOS, July 10 - Security units in Nigeria's southwest have recovered a group of schoolchildren and teachers who were abducted nearly two months ago in Oyo state, a presidential spokesperson said on Friday.
According to the statement, 39 students and six teachers who were seized on May 15 when armed assailants struck multiple schools in Oriire district have been rescued. The abductions occurred during coordinated attacks on educational institutions in that district, authorities said.
Local officials previously reported that one of the captured teachers died while in captivity. The presidential statement identified Bayo Onanuga as the spokesperson conveying the rescue and added that eight suspected kidnappers have been arrested and are being held in custody.
The statement included a quotation attributed to President Bola Tinubu, saying the government "will get justice for these children and their teachers" and for the family of the teacher "who the terrorists gruesomely murdered."
Mass kidnappings by armed groups have emerged as a significant security problem in Nigeria in recent years. The presidential statement said criminal gangs take advantage of weak security and porous borders to target travelers, students and rural communities for cash payments or other in-kind demands.
It also noted that schools are frequent targets of such criminal activity, although assaults of this kind are reported less often in the country's southwest than in some other regions.
Summary
Security forces rescued 39 schoolchildren and six teachers abducted on May 15 in Oyo state's Oriire district. One teacher had reportedly been killed while held captive. Eight suspected kidnappers are now in custody. President Bola Tinubu was quoted pledging justice for the victims and the family of the murdered teacher. The statement framed the incident as part of a broader trend of mass kidnappings exploiting weak security and porous borders to target civilians, including students and rural communities.
Key details
- Number rescued: 39 schoolchildren and six teachers.
- Abduction date and place: May 15 in Oriire district, Oyo state.
- Casualty reported: one teacher said to have been killed in captivity.
- Law enforcement action: eight suspected kidnappers arrested and in custody.
- Official response: President Bola Tinubu pledged that his government "will get justice for these children and their teachers" and for the family of the teacher "who the terrorists gruesomely murdered."
Context provided by officials
The statement linked this event to the wider security challenge of mass kidnappings in Nigeria, attributing the continuation of such crimes to weak security and porous borders that allow criminal gangs to target travellers, students and rural communities for monetary or in-kind ransom demands. It also noted that while schools are commonly targeted, such attacks are less frequent in the southwest.