Oyo School Abduction: Security Forces Rescue 44 Amid Failed Exchange Bid, One Soldier Killed
Security forces rescued 38 students and six teachers abducted in Oyo State's Oriire LGA, following a failed bid by kidnappers to exchange the captives for detained relatives. A Nigerian Army lieutenant was killed during the operation.
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Security forces have successfully rescued 38 schoolchildren and six teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, following a failed negotiation in which the kidnappers sought the release of family members held by security agencies in exchange for the hostages, according to Daily Trust.
The abducted group had been held since their capture earlier in July 2026. The kidnappers proposed swapping the hostages for their wives and children detained in various parts of the country, but authorities rejected the offer, Daily Trust reported, citing unnamed security sources.
During the rescue operation, 28-year-old Lieutenant Felix Ademe Isaac of the Nigerian Army was killed while leading troops, according to Daily Trust. His father, Mr. Isaac Alabura, said the family remains devastated by the loss, describing the slain officer as “our hope.”
The operation has drawn public attention to the ongoing threat of school abductions across Nigeria. While the rescue in Oyo was successful, families of students abducted over fifty days earlier from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Borno State’s Askira-Uba LGA continue to press the federal government for action. They say they feel abandoned, even as security forces achieved a breakthrough in Oyo, Daily Trust noted in a separate report.
Presidential candidate of the Accord Party, Gbenga Hashim, commended the security forces for their role in the rescue, stating that criminal elements can be defeated with strong political backing, Business Day reported. Meanwhile, Minister of Information and National Orientation Bayo Onanuga reiterated that “nobody has been forgotten,” acknowledging ongoing efforts to secure the release of the Borno schoolchildren.