The Nigerian army has freed 44 pupils and teachers held hostage for two months by armed men in the Oyo state of the country’s south‑west. The abduction, which occurred on 15 May from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School and Community Grammar School, proves the scale of the security crisis faced around schools nationwide.
Families cite a harrowing wait as the ordeal unfolded. "It was a harrowing experience…but we thank God that it ended well," said Prof Wole Alamu, who lost several of his students’ relatives and is Headteacher of Community Grammar. He praised the army’s swift action but stressed the pain of watching videos of his wife and other teachers taken by the kidnappers.
The operation, which involved the army, police, intelligence agencies and local vigilante groups, left a few soldiers dead. “The military said that several soldiers died in the rescue mission,” army spokesman Danjuma Jonah Danjuma stated. He also announced the arrests of several suspects, though details on how many remain at large remain undisclosed.
Teachers’ Union leader Hassan Ajibola expressed elation but warned that schools in Nigeria still lack adequate protection. He cited the Safe School Initiative, launched more than a decade ago after the tragic Chibok abductions, urging its full implementation through security deployments, CCTV, fences and community patrols.
Oyo state’s abductions shocked the nation due to their scale and occurring in a predominantly Christian region, unlike the more frequent north‑regional attacks. The incident adds urgency to calls for an investigation into how Safe School Initiative funds have been used and how to prevent future kidnappings before the 2027 general elections.
