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

The Nigerian Armed Forces have liberated all 44 pupils and teachers abducted on 15 May from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School and Community Grammar School in Oyo state, after a month‑long operation that also led to the arrest of the alleged abductors.

Army spokesman Danjuma Jonah Danjuma said the freed captives are receiving medical care at an undisclosed hospital and will return home once stable. He also noted that the operation cost several soldiers.
The army announced that it had seized hideouts and informants located in Old Oyo National Park forest and that further arrests were ongoing.
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Prof Wole Alamu, headteacher of Community Grammar School, thanked God for the safe return and lamented the emotional toll of the ordeal: “It was a harrowing experience… we are grateful to everyone who helped.” His wife, Rachael Folawe Alamu, added that seeing videos released by the kidnappers had been distressing for the family.

Hassan Ajibola, president of the teachers’ union in Oyo, expressed elation but urged authorities to fully deploy the Safe School Initiative, which includes security personnel, CCTV, fencing and local patrols. He said: “If this programme is implemented as designed, our schools will be vastly safer.”

The operation involved the Nigerian army, police, intelligence agencies and local vigilante groups. While the army acknowledged that several of its personnel were killed, it said the combined efforts dismantled a broader support network, including hideouts used by criminal gangs and jihadist groups.

The Oyo abductions—shortly before the nation’s next elections—highlight the persistent insecurity affecting even the predominantly Christian south‑west, a region where such incidents had previously been rare. Lawmakers and rights groups are calling for an investigation into how funds earmarked for the Safe School Initiative have been used.