ORIIRE, NIGERIA — Forty-four students and teachers kidnapped by an armed gang in the state of Oyo have been freed after a month-long security mission in the Old Oyo National Park Forest.
The individuals who had been kidnapped from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area since 15 May have been handed to the authorities by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. The security mission involved collaboration between the Nigerian Army, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Amotekun Corps, and the Nigeria Police Force. Eight kidnappers were apprehended, while some officers were wounded, and at least one was killed.
“We are bearing scars from our traumatising experience of being kidnapped. We hope that time will help us heal,” Rachael Alamu, head teacher of Ahoro-Esinele Community High School.
After three days of receiving medical care and monitoring at the hospital, authorities confirmed plans to unite the freed hostages with their families. “And when we are convinced they are physically fit… then we want to ensure that the survivors are medically okay,” Governor Makinde declared.
The Commissioner of Police of Oyo State, Ayodeji Olugbenga Abimbola, reiterated that security operatives have intensified efforts to ensure the safety of lives, saying, “Security is not static. We are working assiduously to make sure this is going to be the last incident in the south-west.”
The mass abduction for ransom continues to pose a threat to rural facilities in Nigeria, where UNICEF says just 37 per cent of schools have early warning mechanisms.
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