IBADAN, NIGERIA — A high-stakes, multi-agency security operation has culminated in the successful rescue of the pupils and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, terminating 57 grueling days in captivity.
The security breakthrough has triggered widespread relief across the country, while simultaneously igniting a fierce debate regarding political sabotage ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Disclosing the development, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that an operational task force—comprising the Nigerian Military, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force—rescued all victims alive without any collateral damage.
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Onanuga revealed that state forces maintained a zero-compromise posture, flatly refusing the kidnappers’ demands to swap the hostages for an incarcerated terror kingpin currently facing federal trial. During the surgical raid, several bandits were neutralised, while eight suspects were arrested and remain in DSS custody.
The news has been met with significant political reactions. Media mogul and former Bayelsa Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, highly commended President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for coordinating a successful operation.
“The successful rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State is a remarkable achievement and a testament to what can be accomplished when leadership, intelligence, and professionalism come together,” Murray-Bruce stated. “I offer special praise to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, whose coordination of our security architecture continues to deliver tangible results.”
However, the rescue follows explosive claims made hours earlier by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. Speaking in Bauchi during a consultative strategy meeting with Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, and leaders of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Makinde strongly implied that the May 15 mass abduction was targeted sabotage to undermine his newly declared presidential ambitions.
“For seven years, we didn’t witness anything like this in Oyo State,” Governor Makinde remarked, questioning the sudden breach. “I declared to run for the presidency of Nigeria at four o’clock, and by 9 a.m. the following morning, the children were abducted.”
Makinde, who formally announced his 2027 presidential ambition on May 14 in Ibadan under the APM to “reset Nigeria,” later expressed massive relief following the rescue announcement, thanking the service chiefs and President Tinubu for pushing hard to end the 57-day ordeal.
The political opposition has also weighed in on the development. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, welcomed the safe return but reminded the state of its fundamental duties.
“The protection of lives and property remains the first responsibility of government and is the irreducible minimum that our country and its citizens deserve,” the PDP noted.
Concurrently, human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, took to social media to celebrate the operational outcome, praising the local and institutional actors who worked tirelessly to make the release possible.
Meanwhile, traditional authorities have warned against using national security as a partisan weapon. The Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, lambasted opposition figures for what he termed “political banditry,” explicitly challenging top political actors like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to bring actionable solutions directly to the presidency rather than weaponising tragedies in the media.
