The Oyo State Police Command has dismissed a claim circulating on social media that the schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State had been rescued.
Penpushing reports that the Command Public Relations Officer Olayinka Ayanlade in response to a facebook claim attributed to Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs, that the victims had regained freedom said the claim was unfounded, untrue, and false
The claim circulated widely through a now deleted Facebook post alleged that 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.
Penpushing further reports that the post claimed that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) which earlier embarked on an indefinite strike on June 1, 2026 had also called off its strike following the purported rescue of the victims.
The police, however, in a statement stated that while efforts to rescue the victims are still ongoing, there has been no such development of “successful rescue,” urging the members of the public to disregard the report in its entirety.”
“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.
Penpushing also reports that Ayanlade as at the time of filing this report did not provide further details but maintained that the claim of a successful rescue operation was inaccurate.
The abduction of the victims it would be recalled occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked schools in Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso and kidnapped about 39 pupils and 7 teachers.
Penpushing reports that the incident triggered widespread outrage across Oyo State and renewed concerns about the safety of schools and learning environments, and as of Wednesday, the victims had spent about 19 days in captivity, with families, education stakeholders and residents anxiously awaiting their release.
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