President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s zero-tolerance stance on ransom payments to terrorists, following the rescue of dozens of abducted pupils and teachers in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area.
The victims, 39 pupils and seven teachers from three schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities, were seized on May 15, 2026, in an attack linked to the Ansaru terrorist faction. One teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was killed while in captivity.
After 56 days, security forces secured the release of the remaining 44 hostages in what the presidency described as a coordinated, intelligence-led operation involving the military, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Police Force.
“The children and teachers abducted by Ansaru terrorists in Oyo State have been rescued by our security forces, alive and unharmed. No ransom was paid. No concession was made,” Tinubu said in a statement issued through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The kidnappers had reportedly demanded the release of two detained Ansaru commanders in exchange for the hostages. According to the presidency, no such trade was made; one of the men, described as a kingpin, remains in custody and is being prosecuted. Eight suspected abductors were arrested during the rescue operation, while several others were reported neutralised.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde welcomed the outcome, calling it a major relief for the state and describing it as validation of the government’s refusal to negotiate with the kidnappers.
The Oyo rescue is the latest test of a policy the federal government has maintained consistently since at least 2025, when presidential adviser Daniel Bwala said the administration would not entertain negotiations with kidnappers or terrorists, framing ransom payments as a direct channel of financing for further attacks.
Analysts note, however, that the federal government’s official posture does not always extend uniformly to the state level, where some governments or affected families have in the past been reported to pay ransoms independently to secure the release of hostages, a gap that continues to complicate Nigeria’s broader anti-kidnapping strategy.
Security officials say the Oyo operation avoided major casualties among the victims, though the Army noted that some personnel sustained injuries during the mission. The rescued pupils and teachers have been handed over for medical care ahead of reunification with their families, with the Oyo State Government tasked with coordinating relief support.
