Oyo governor pledges rehabilitation, medical care and uninterrupted education as rescued victims recount horrors of captivity, including the killing of two teachers……
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has formally assumed responsibility for the welfare and rehabilitation of the teachers and pupils rescued after spending 56 days in the custody of kidnappers following the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
The victims, who were abducted from Ahoro Community Baptist School and Yawota Community School, were officially handed over to the Oyo State Government by the Nigerian Army during a ceremony held on Monday at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Receiving the victims, Makinde described their rescue as a major breakthrough made possible through the combined efforts of the Federal Government, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies. He assured the survivors that the state would provide the care and support needed to help them recover from the traumatic experience.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his support throughout the operation, while also commending the military and other security agencies for their role in securing the victims’ release.
According to Makinde, the Oriire abduction was unlike any security challenge the state had witnessed during his more than seven years in office.
He noted that the incident attracted widespread concern both within Nigeria and internationally, with many people praying and advocating for the victims’ safe return.
Reflecting on the victims’ 56 days in captivity, the governor acknowledged that the emotional scars would not disappear overnight.
“What you endured over 56 days cannot simply be erased in 56 months. Nevertheless, I want to assure you that you will not walk this path alone,” he said.
Makinde disclosed that the state government would continue to provide medical treatment and psychosocial support for the rescued teachers and pupils under the supervision of former Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH), Professor Temitope Alonge.
He explained that the victims would only be reunited with their families after medical experts confirmed they were physically and psychologically fit.
Although the affected Baptist school is privately owned, the governor pledged to engage its management to ensure that none of the teachers loses their job and that the pupils are able to continue their education without disruption.
“The Oyo State Government will do everything within its power to ensure that there is no disruption to the careers of the teachers and no interruption to the education of the pupils,” he assured.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Chinedu Nnebeife, said the successful rescue followed weeks of intelligence-driven operations involving multiple security agencies.
He revealed that preliminary investigations pointed to the involvement of local collaborators, including some vigilante members and hunters, who allegedly assisted the kidnappers.
According to him, security agencies would work with the Oyo State Government to thoroughly investigate the incident and strengthen measures to prevent similar attacks.
Nnebeife also explained why the military did not deploy aircraft during the rescue mission.
He said the victims were held deep inside dense forest terrain, making aerial extraction impossible and forcing troops to rely on carefully coordinated ground operations.
The senior military officer paid tribute to personnel who lost their lives during the mission and thanked President Tinubu for providing the necessary support for the operation. He also acknowledged Governor Makinde, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, the Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service, the Chief of Army Staff, the leadership of the Air Force and Navy, as well as other security agencies for their collaboration.
In an emotional account, the school’s principal, speaking publicly for the first time since regaining freedom, narrated the horrific conditions the victims endured while in captivity.
She described the experience as both torturous and terrifying, alleging that the abductors repeatedly assaulted the teachers and pupils.
According to her, male victims were blindfolded and beaten, while children who cried out of fear or exhaustion were also subjected to physical abuse.
The principal also revealed that the kidnappers executed the school’s mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, by beheading him in what she described as an attempt to pressure the government into meeting their demands.
She further disclosed that another teacher, John Olaleye, was also killed during the period of captivity.
The revelations offered a grim picture of the brutality suffered by the victims and underscored the risks faced by security personnel during the operation that eventually secured the freedom of the surviving teachers and pupils.
The abduction of the Oriire school teachers and pupils sparked widespread outrage and renewed concerns over school security across the country before the victims were eventually rescued during coordinated military operations in the Old Oyo National Park and surrounding forests.
