The 44 pupils and teachers abducted by Ansaru terrorists from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have been rescued after 56 days in captivity following a sustained, intelligence-led joint security operation that dismantled the kidnappers’ network across multiple states, led to the arrest of eight suspects now in DSS custody, and resulted in the neutralisation of several other members of the gang, the Nigerian Army and the Presidency confirmed on Friday, July 10, 2026.
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The rescue was accomplished without the Federal Government acceding to the terrorists’ central demand: the release of Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, a Boko Haram kingpin standing trial for terrorism, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri.
“There was no quid pro quo in the rescue, as one of the terrorists, a kingpin whose release the kidnappers demanded, is being prosecuted for his atrocities,” the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, stated.
The spokesperson for 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, revealed that the operation lasted more than one month, targeting the kidnappers’ network and hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park and other locations across the country.
The operation, coordinated by the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Maj.-Gen. C.R. Nnebeife, involved an unprecedented assembly of security agencies: special units from the Office of the National Security Adviser, particularly the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Defence Headquarters, Special Forces of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as local vigilantes, hunters, and Amotekun operatives.
“The coordinated operation led to multiple arrests in Oyo State and several other states, effectively dismantling the kidnappers’ network. These arrests completely disorganised the group, exerted overwhelming pressure on them and ultimately led the terrorist group to unconditionally release the pupils and teachers,” Lt.-Col. Danjuma stated.
He explained that the operation was “carefully planned and executed to avoid collateral damage and ensure the safe rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers.”
“However, there were some casualties on the part of the security forces,” he added, without providing further details.
The rescued victims were receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital and would be handed over to the Oyo State Government for reunification with their families.
In a video that surfaced after the rescue, the principal of Community High School, Esiele, Mrs Rachael Folawe, surrounded by the rescued pupils and teachers, thanked President Tinubu and the security agencies.
“Hello, sir, our father, we are grateful. Mr President, sir, we are grateful. We understand your commitment to our safety, and we appreciate all you did for us. We could see your hand. Thank you very much,” she stated.
“And every security operative, they tried so much and that is why we are still alive. We are very grateful to you,” she added, as the rescued pupils chorused: “Thank you.”
A parent of two of the victims, Ogune Tegba, told Saturday PUNCH: “I am grateful. Help me thank everybody. I have seen them. Thank you.”
President Bola Tinubu expressed delight over the successful operation and vowed that his administration would ensure justice for the victims and the family of the slain teacher, Michael Oyedokun, who was beheaded by the terrorists the day after the abduction.
“I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire, Ogbomoso, in Oyo State after a military, police and intelligence-driven operation that neutralised some of the terrorists who perpetrated the evil act and led to the arrest of eight of them,” Tinubu stated.
“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation and the affected families in particular,” the President stated.
“My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr Oyedokun, whom the terrorists gruesomely murdered,” Tinubu declared.
He directed emergency response agencies to work with the Oyo State Government to provide medical care and other relief support for the rescued victims and urged the state government to strengthen security around schools.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State described the rescue as “a huge relief” during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.
“It was such a big relief for all of us and for those waiting for the past 57 days. I think it is a big relief for all of us,” Makinde stated.
He commended the security agencies and President Tinubu “for pushing really hard to have this done” and expressed gratitude to the media “for sustaining the pressure on everybody until we got to this point.”
Amid the national celebration, the family of Michael Oyedokun, the teacher beheaded by the terrorists on May 16, one day after the abduction, expressed the pain of a joy they cannot fully share.
Oluwabukolami, Oyedokun’s niece who had served as the family’s spokesperson on social media throughout the ordeal, posted on Instagram:
“They are finally home. My heart rejoices with every family that has been reunited with their loved ones after weeks of pain, fear and uncertainty. Welcome home.”
“But as others celebrate, my family mourns. My uncle, Mr Michael Olugbade Oyedokun, will never come home. He was taken from us, and his life was brutally cut short. Our joy is incomplete because one chair at our table will remain empty forever.”
“Today, we celebrate those who returned while remembering the one who never did. Rest in peace, Uncle Michael. You will never be forgotten,” she wrote.
Residents, travellers, and passers-by in the Ogbomoso area broke into spontaneous celebrations as news of the rescue filtered in.
“I initially did not believe it, but when I saw scores of okada riders and travellers parking their vehicles and celebrating, I then believed the information was true,” resident Akinkunmi Oyelade told Saturday PUNCH.
Another resident, Kemi Adeniyi, while expressing joy, demanded accountability: “What happened to those who kept our family members for almost two months? Are they still alive, or were they neutralised by security operatives? We need an update on that. They must not go unpunished. Or do both the Federal and Oyo State governments want to give them amnesty like those in the North? There shouldn’t be repentant Boko Haram.”
A civil servant stated: “We shall paint the town red tonight because one of my friend’s children was among the abductees.”
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, called on the Federal Government to explain the circumstances surrounding the killing of Oyedokun and to secure schools, particularly those in rural areas.
“While congratulating the rescued abductees, the government should explain the circumstances surrounding the killing of the teacher who was reportedly beheaded by the terrorist gang. The government should take advantage of the annual vacation to secure all schools, particularly those located in rural areas across the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory,” Falana stated.
Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, while thanking the Federal Government, drew attention to victims still in captivity in his constituency.
He disclosed that 42 people from Mussa Community, more than 30 residents of Lassa who were recently abducted, over 50 people from Gwoza still being held from a larger group of about 400 abductees, and several travellers kidnapped along the Biu route all remained in captivity.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the military to shift their attention now to my senatorial district to help us get our people back,” Ndume stated.
He said parents of the abducted victims were traumatised because some in captivity were young children, while the Lassa victims were students preparing for or sitting the National Examinations Council examinations.
The factional National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, commended the Federal Government, the Oyo State Government, and security agencies, describing the incident as “a traumatic experience that no one should endure in the pursuit of education.”
The APM, through its National Publicity Secretary Abubakar Yusuf, expressed relief over the safe return of the victims. Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 AAC presidential candidate, expressed gratitude to “everyone who worked tirelessly and contributed in one way or another to making their release possible.”
The Young Progressives Party urged President Tinubu and security agencies to adopt the strategy that led to the rescue in other parts of the country, “insisting that decisive military action, rather than ransom negotiations, remains the most effective response to terrorism and kidnapping.”
On May 15, 2026, terrorists belonging to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, struck three schools in Oriire Local Government Area: Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; L.A. Primary School; and Community Grammar School, Esiele.
No fewer than 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a principal, were abducted during the coordinated attacks. Michael Oyedokun, one of the abducted teachers, was beheaded the following day in a bid to deter security operatives pursuing the gang.
The terrorists initially demanded the release of two Ansaru commanders, Mahmud Usman and his deputy Abubakar Abba, both arrested by DSS operatives and standing trial for terrorism, as well as ransom payment, provision of two Hilux vehicles, and the implementation of Sharia-related laws.
However, the sustained intelligence-led operation gradually dismantled the gang’s network, blocked their escape routes, identified and traced their associates across the country, and exerted what security sources described as “overwhelming pressure” that forced the terrorists to abandon their demands and unconditionally release the captives on Friday, July 10, 2026, after 56 days in captivity.
The eight arrested suspects are in DSS custody. Further operations have been promised by the Nigerian Army.
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