NAF Tracks 46 Abducted Pupils, Teachers in Oyo as Tinubu Deploys Special Rescue Unit

OYO STATE – The Nigerian Air Force has continued aerial surveillance support in efforts to rescue abducted pupils and teachers taken from Yawota and Ahoro-Esinele communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. According to a statement by NAF spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the development was confirmed during a courtesy visit by representatives of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Suleh. The visit underscored the Air Force’s commitment to collaborating with state authorities in addressing the security crisis that has left 46 people – including 39 pupils and seven teachers – in captivity since May 15, 2026.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, said the Air Force deployed an aerial surveillance platform immediately after the abduction was reported, providing critical intelligence to support search-and-rescue operations. According to the governor, the intelligence generated from the surveillance missions has continued to assist security agencies in tracking developments and coordinating efforts to secure the victims’ release. The governor noted that the intervention came at a critical time, as Oyo State’s newly acquired aerial security assets are yet to become operational. He explained that the surveillance aircraft was made available while the state’s newly procured aircraft are still being assembled at the NAF Base in Lagos. Makinde further explained that the state acquired the aerial platforms following consultations with the Nigerian Air Force to ensure access to maintenance support, engineering expertise, and pilot training, expressing confidence that the assets would significantly enhance security operations across Oyo State and neighbouring states once fully operational.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Suleh reaffirmed the Air Force’s commitment to supporting rescue operations and working with other security agencies to ensure the safe return of the abducted victims. He conveyed the NAF’s solidarity with the government and people of Oyo State and praised the state government’s support for Air Force projects and infrastructure development within the state. He stressed that the Air Force would continue to work closely with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders to safeguard lives and property while addressing security challenges across the country. The NAF has urged residents to remain patient and supportive, assuring that coordinated resources are being deployed to resolve the situation.

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The pupils and teachers of Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota) , Community Grammar School (Esiele) , and L.A. Primary School were abducted on May 15, 2026, during an attack by armed bandits. The attackers reportedly seized 39 pupils and seven teachers, bringing the total number of victims to 46. The abduction has been marked by tragedy. A teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, a Mathematics teacher at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, was killed while in captivity – reportedly beheaded by the abductors, with a video of the killing circulating online. Another school official, an Assistant Headmaster identified as Mr. Adesiyan, was also killed during the initial attack, along with a yet-to-be-identified motorcycle rider. Some teachers were reportedly shot or injured during the raid.

Security operatives attempting to rescue the victims have encountered significant challenges, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs) reportedly planted by the kidnappers. Some security personnel were injured in these explosions, underscoring the sophistication of the criminal network behind the attack. The presence of IEDs suggests the abductors may have links to better-resourced criminal or insurgent groups operating in the region.

Following the abduction, President Bola Tinubu approved the deployment of a specialised tactical security unit to launch a fresh rescue operation and ensure the victims are returned safely. The President, in a statement on June 1, 2026, said security agencies have been instructed to sustain intelligence-driven operations and deploy all lawful resources necessary to bring the abducted pupils and teachers home safely. President Tinubu also approved the immediate recruitment of 1,000 local forest guards in collaboration with the Oyo State Government to strengthen security in vulnerable communities and secure the state’s forest corridors often exploited by criminal elements. The forest guards will be sourced locally from the communities to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering within the vast forest corridors.

A high-powered Federal Government delegation, led by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the affected Esiele and Yawota communities to assess the situation and comfort the families of the victims. The delegation included top security chiefs: National Security Adviser Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu, and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare. The delegation assured anxious residents that the President is deeply troubled by the incident and that all necessary resources are being deployed.

The incident triggered protests by teachers and civil society groups in Ibadan, calling for urgent rescue action. Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Oyo State protested on May 30, carrying placards and chanting “Bring Back Our Children,” warning that the prolonged captivity of the victims had deepened fears over the safety of schools across the state. The NUT also declared an indefinite strike in Oyo State to protest the security breach and demand faster action from authorities. Similarly, members of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) and Civil Society Organisations marched across Bodija, Mokola, Iwo Road, and the state Secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, demanding immediate release of the abductees. Student leader Mr. Moses Olawole decried the government’s delayed actions, stating that with decisive action, the situation wouldn’t have lasted about three weeks, warning that students would march to Aso Rock, Abuja, for a national protest by June 8 if the government failed to free the abductees. The House of Representatives has also urged federal authorities and security agencies to ensure the victims are returned safely.

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Addressing protesters on June 2 in Ibadan, Governor Makinde appealed to Nigerians to stop apportioning blame over the abduction and instead support government efforts to ensure the speedy release of the victims. He disclosed that federal security operatives have been in the state for the past two weeks and that he meets with them at least three times daily to review rescue efforts. “This is not the time to trade blames that it’s the President that should have handled this or the governor or the local government chairman. This is the time to pull together as one, because we are not dealing with normal human beings. The bandits are not normal people,” Makinde said. The governor recalled that his father taught at Ahoro Dada Primary School in 1959/60, very close to where the abduction took place, stating: “I wouldn’t have been born if such incident happened to him while teaching there.” He appealed to residents of the affected communities and the state at large to remain patient and support ongoing security operations, assuring them that all necessary resources were being deployed to ensure the successful resolution of the incident, and warned against actions that could deepen divisions, saying “we shouldn’t provide oxygen to people that want to see us divided.”

The successful rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul (sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu) and her twin sons on June 6 has sparked renewed public demands for the speedy recovery of the Oriire schoolchildren and teachers. Many Nigerians on social media have questioned why the same level of operational success had yet to be recorded in the Oriire case, urging authorities not to relent until every abducted child and teacher regains freedom. Mrs. Olufunmilayo Adelabu, mother of the former minister, also spoke about the Oriire victims, revealing that she wept bitterly when she saw the abducted schoolchildren on her phone, only for her own daughter and grandsons to be kidnapped the following day. She prayed for the release of the Oriire victims, saying: “The God who freed my children from bondage will free others too. None of them will die there. They will all come home safely.”

The abduction has renewed concerns over the safety of schools in southwestern Nigeria, a region previously less affected by such大规模 school kidnappings. Security analyst Cheta Nwanze described the abductions as a troubling development, warning that the spread of school kidnappings into Nigeria’s South-West represents a dangerous escalation of insecurity and demonstrates how criminal networks previously concentrated in the North-West and North-East are increasingly extending operations into other regions. The Nigerian Air Force reiterated its commitment to collaborating with other security agencies to ensure the safe return of the abducted teachers and pupils and tackle emerging security threats across the country.

NAF Tracks 46 Abducted Pupils, Teachers in Oyo as Tinubu Deploys Special Rescue Unit