Dozens of abducted schoolchildren and teachers rescued in Nigeria after 56 days

Nigeria says security forces have rescued dozens of schoolchildren and teachers who were abducted from three schools in Oyo state in May. The presidency said the hostages were freed 56 days after they were taken in the southwestern state, in an operation that also led to arrests and deaths among the assailants. President Bola Tinubu said he was profoundly happy that the students and teachers had been brought back safely.

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According to the statement, eight of the attackers were arrested and an unspecified number were killed. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said all of the students and teachers had been rescued, and added that there was no quid pro quo in the operation. The government said 46 students and staff were taken on May 15 from two primary schools and one secondary school.

The youngest child abducted was two years old and the oldest was 16. One teacher was killed shortly after the abduction, according to the report. Tinubu said the rescue ended a siege and standoff of more than 50 days and thanked the armed forces, intelligence agencies and police for the operation.

The case has drawn attention because school kidnappings have become a recurring security problem in Nigeria, where armed groups have used abductions to seek ransom payments. The government has blamed the kidnappings on Boko Haram. The incident also comes against the backdrop of a wider security crisis that has affected parts of the country for years, including violence linked to the Boko Haram rebellion in the northeast.

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The report said that in 2024 gunmen earned more than $1.6m in ransom payments, underscoring the financial incentive behind some abductions. The Oyo kidnappings were notable because most previous school abductions had taken place in northern Nigeria, while this attack happened in the southwest. That shift prompted concern that the security threat could be spreading into new areas.

Defence Minister Christopher Musa said earlier this week that the assailants planned to use the hostages as leverage to pressure the government to release some of their commanders from prison. It is not clear exactly how the rescue was carried out, and the authorities have not given a detailed account of the operation. The number of people killed among the attackers has also not been specified.

What remains to be seen is whether the rescued children and teachers will be able to return home quickly and whether the case will lead to further arrests or new security measures in Oyo state and beyond.

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