Oyo State Police Command has dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that abducted school children and teachers from communities in Oriire Local Government Area of the state have been rescued.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, described the report as false, insisting that no rescue operation had yet secured the release of the victims.
“It is unfounded, it is untrue, and it is false,” Ayanlade said while responding to enquiries on Thursday.
The claim reportedly originated from a now-deleted Facebook post attributed to Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Economic Affairs. The post alleged that all abducted pupils and teachers had been freed through a joint operation involving the military, police and forest rangers.
According to the post, all 42 students and seven teachers kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15 had been rescued. It also claimed that the Nigeria Union of Teachers had suspended its ongoing strike following the purported rescue.
However, the police spokesman, in a statement, urged members of the public to disregard the report, stressing that efforts to secure the victims’ release were still ongoing.
“Security operatives are working tirelessly, deploying all available human and operational resources to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers, their unharmed reunification with their families, and the apprehension and prosecution of all those responsible for the heinous act,” the statement read.
Ayanlade maintained that reports suggesting a successful rescue operation were inaccurate and misleading.
The victims were abducted on May 15 when armed men attacked schools in Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities near Ogbomoso in Oriire Local Government Area, kidnapping about 39 pupils and seven teachers.
The incident sparked widespread concern across Oyo State and renewed calls for improved security around schools. As of Wednesday, the victims had spent about 19 days in captivity, with families, education stakeholders and residents anxiously awaiting their release.
