The Oyo State Police Command has refuted a viral social media report alleging that the schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped from Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Orire Local Government Area have been rescued. In a telephone conversation with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olayinka Ayanlade, categorically denied the claim. “It is unfounded, it is untrue, and it is false,” Mr Ayanlade stated.
The false information spread widely through a now-deleted Facebook post attributed to Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs. The post asserted that all abducted pupils and teachers were freed in a joint security operation involving the military, police, and forest rangers. It read in part: “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.” The post also claimed that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which had embarked on an indefinite strike on June 1, had called off the strike following the purported rescue.
However, in a statement issued by the Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, Mr Ayanlade clarified that rescue efforts are ongoing and no such successful rescue has occurred. He urged the public to disregard the report entirely. “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.
Mr Ayanlade did not provide further details but maintained that the claim of a successful rescue operation was inaccurate. The abduction took place on May 15 when armed men attacked schools in Orire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso, kidnapping about 39 pupils and 7 teachers. The incident sparked widespread outrage across Oyo State and renewed concerns about school safety. As of Wednesday, the victims had spent about 19 days in captivity, with families, education stakeholders, and residents anxiously awaiting their release.
