Army says progress made in rescue of abducted Ogbomoso pupils, teachers

The Nigerian Army has said it is making significant progress in efforts to rescue the 39 pupils and seven teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

According to TheCable, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, gave the update during an interactive session with media executives in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as part of activities marking the 2026 Nigerian Army Day celebration.

The victims were abducted on May 15 when gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire LGA. Among those taken were 39 pupils, seven teachers and the principal of one of the affected schools.

The incident took a tragic turn days later when one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by his captors while in captivity.

The abduction sparked widespread public outrage, with many Nigerians taking to social media and staging protests to demand the safe return of the victims.

Providing an update on the rescue efforts, Shaibu said military operations were ongoing and yielding positive results.

“Operations are currently ongoing to rescue those children abducted in Oyo State, and we are making tremendous progress,” he said, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), as reported by TheCable.

The army chief also highlighted ongoing military operations across the country’s six geopolitical zones, saying troops remained committed to tackling insecurity nationwide.

He disclosed that troops under Operation Hadin Kai had neutralised more than 1,872 insurgents in the North East, while many other terrorists had surrendered.

Shaibu added that improved security had enabled displaced persons to return to their communities, pointing to the recent closure of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Bama, Borno State.

He further said Operation Fansan Yamma had continued to record successes against bandit groups operating in the North West.