Security operatives have intensified efforts to rescue 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted from three communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with indications that their release may be imminent.
Multiple security sources say troops have surrounded a hideout inside a National Park forest where the victims — seized from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota, and Alawusa communities on May 15, 2026 — are believed to be held. The operatives have blocked all possible escape routes, effectively cornering the kidnappers within the forest.
Under mounting pressure, the terrorists reportedly killed one of the abducted teachers in what sources described as a blackmail tactic aimed at halting the rescue operation.
Demands Scaled Back
The kidnappers initially presented four demands: the release of detained terrorist commanders, ransom payment, two Hilux vehicles, and the implementation of Sharia-related laws. Among those whose release was sought are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba — both identified as senior members of Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group — who were arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) last year.
However, as security forces tightened their grip, sources say the terrorists have dropped several of their earlier demands and are now primarily focused on securing ransom payment.
Intelligence sources identified the kidnapping gang’s leader as a native of Oriire LGA who allegedly became radicalised by Ansaru. The affected communities sit along a border corridor near the Niger Republic and the Kainji axis — rugged terrain with limited telecommunications coverage.
Security agencies say sustained offensives have neutralised at least 168 high-profile terrorist commanders in recent months and driven many insurgents out of their traditional strongholds into remote civilian areas.
“The war against terrorism will be won,” a senior security officer told Vanguard. “We will not relent until these criminals are either eliminated or forced out of the country.”
Police, Igboho at Odds Over Separate Oyo Kidnap Release
A separate controversy has emerged in Igboho, Oorelope LGA, where the Oyo State Police Command has dismissed claims that Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo — popularly known as Sunday Igboho — secured the release of kidnapped victims in the town.
The dispute followed an ultimatum Igboho issued to criminal elements he accused of turning Igboho into a kidnapping hub, warning he would personally intervene if victims were not freed within two hours. Shortly after, reports and viral videos emerged showing residents celebrating what was described as the victims’ release — including a pregnant woman, her children, and a sibling abducted during a midnight raid. The kidnappers had initially demanded N300 million before reducing the figure to N150 million.
In a widely circulated video, Igboho addressed Fulani leaders and community representatives, saying the abductions in his hometown would not be tolerated.
However, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Olayinka Ayanlade said the force had not officially confirmed that the victims were freed and denied any link between Igboho and a rescue operation. “The Oyo State Commissioner of Police has explicitly denied that Sunday Igboho was involved in recent rescue operations,” the statement read, urging the public to rely only on official sources.
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