Tears, Joy as 31 Rescued Oyo Pupils, Teachers Reunite with Families After 56 Days in Captivity

Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.

Emotions ran high at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso on Tuesday as dozens of schoolchildren and teachers rescued from kidnappers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State reunited with their families after spending 56 harrowing days in captivity. The hospital premises came alive with tears, prayers, songs of thanksgiving and warm embraces as parents waited anxiously from the early hours of the day for medical clearance to take their children home. The atmosphere became charged with emotion when the Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Professor Olawale Olakulehin, emerged to announce the names of victims certified medically fit for discharge. As each name was called, parents rushed forward amid tears of joy, with some mothers rolling on the floor in gratitude while others hugged their children tightly after nearly two months of separation.

The victims, comprising 39 pupils and several teachers, were abducted on May 15, 2026, when armed bandits attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; L.A. Primary School; and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esienle, in Oriire Local Government Area. They were rescued on Friday, July 10, 2026, following a coordinated intelligence-driven military operation involving the Nigerian Army, Air Force, Police, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes. The rescue operation also led to the arrest of eight suspected terrorists and the neutralisation of several others. Two teachers lost their lives during the period of captivity.

Speaking after the handover on Monday, the principal of Community High School in Esinele, Rachael Alamu, described the 56 days in captivity as a nightmare marked by fear, hunger and constant movement through dense forests. She said the abductors repeatedly relocated the captives at night whenever they suspected security operatives were closing in. The victims were formally handed over to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in Ibadan on Monday by the Nigerian Army and subsequently taken to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital for comprehensive medical evaluation and psychological care. Hospital officials coordinated the discharge process, calling out the names of the rescued pupils one after another as anxious family members stepped forward to receive them.

Professor Olakulehin disclosed that 31 of the 39 rescued pupils had been discharged after being certified medically fit, while eight remained under medical observation and treatment. The hospital had received 44 rescued pupils and teachers from the Oyo State Government on Monday evening for comprehensive medical examinations. Hospital sources told The PUNCH that about 35 victims, including some teachers and other adults, had been discharged out of the 44 victims received. The Chief Medical Director also revealed that doctors discovered a congenital heart defect — a hole in the heart — in one of the children during a routine medical evaluation, a condition the parents were previously unaware of. “The child has a hole in the heart, which was discovered during our medical assessment. There is no cause for alarm because the child is stable and doing well. We have commenced the necessary medical procedures and will formally notify the Oyo State Government to facilitate the next phase of treatment,” the CMD said.

Among those reunited with their families were Testimony, Aliyu Ahmed, Abati Elizabeth and Adeleke Joshua, whose names echoed through the hall before emotional relatives rushed forward with tears, prayers and thanksgiving. One mother, overwhelmed with emotion after embracing her daughter, Testimony, thanked God and security agencies for bringing her child home alive. “God of heaven and earth, I thank God, Governor Seyi Makinde, Tinubu, Army, vigilantes and those that support us with prayers,” she said. One of the rescued teachers, Mary Dahunsi, who carried her baby on her back as she left the hospital with her husband, thanked God for sparing their lives. “We thank God for life. Thanks to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde, security agencies, clerics and Nigerians for praying for us and for not forgetting us in the bush. We pray this does not happen to anyone,” she said.

Professor Olakulehin said treatment had gone beyond addressing physical ailments, as the hospital was also providing psychological support to help the pupils recover from the trauma of their captivity. He described the discharge of the 31 pupils as a significant milestone in the rehabilitation of the rescued victims, adding that the remaining children would continue to receive specialised care until they were certified fit to return home. The hospital assured parents and the public that the welfare of the rescued children remained its top priority, with multidisciplinary medical teams continuing to monitor their physical and mental well-being throughout their recovery.

Despite the traumatic experience, several parents dismissed suggestions that they would abandon their communities, insisting they had nowhere else to relocate. Earlier on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, disclosed that the Federal Government planned to establish two military bases and deploy specialised security units to Oriire Local Government Area to strengthen security following the abduction. However, the Senate on Tuesday asked Governor Makinde to withdraw his call for a United Nations-led investigation into the abduction, with Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the demand as “not statesmanly” and urging him to stop “trivialising” the rescue operation.

The reunion at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital marked the end of one of Oyo State's most traumatic school kidnapping incidents. For the 31 pupils and teachers who walked out of the hospital into the arms of their waiting families, it was a moment of profound relief and gratitude. For the eight who remain under observation, including the child with the heart condition, the journey to full recovery continues. As one mother declared while clutching her daughter tightly: “Merciful God, I thank You. I never imagined that my daughter, Testimony, would return to me safe and fill my heart with joy”.

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