Oyo Police Deny Reports That Kidnapped Students and Teachers Were Released

The Oyo State Police Command has issued a firm denial of circulating media reports claiming that the students and teachers kidnapped from Ahoro Esiele and Yawota Communities in Oriire Local Government Area have been released. The Command described the reports as untrue, deceptive, and completely without basis.

Spokeswoman Olayinka Ayanlade stated plainly that as of Sunday morning, no such development had occurred, and urged the public to disregard the reports entirely.

Think about what it means for a family to see a headline saying their child has been freed, and then have the police tell them it is false. That is not a minor misinformation incident. That is a specific kind of cruelty, whether the false report originated from careless journalism, deliberate manipulation, or something else entirely.

The Command gave no indication of where the false reports originated or who was responsible for spreading them. What it did make clear is that the rescue operation is ongoing, active, and far from over.

"Security personnel are working nonstop, utilizing all available human and operational resources," Ayanlade said, adding that the goal remains the safe and unharmed reunification of the victims with their families, alongside the arrest and prosecution of everyone responsible for the abductions.

The kidnappings took place on May 15, 2026, when students and teachers were taken from three schools in the Oriire LGA. The Federal Government has since deployed a high-level security delegation to the area, approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards, and authorized a specialized rescue squad. None of that has yet produced the outcome every family in those communities is waiting for.

False reports of a release, in that context, do more than spread misinformation. They interfere with a live rescue operation, create confusion among the security personnel and community members involved, and subject grieving families to a whiplash of false hope followed by renewed despair.

The Oyo State Police Command has not released any update on the operational progress of the rescue effort beyond confirming it is ongoing. The victims remain in captivity. The families are still waiting.

Until there is a confirmed, official announcement from the Command or the Federal Government, any report of a release should be treated with serious skepticism.

The children are not home yet.