How Army, Police and DSS Rescued Kidnapped Oyo School Children and Teachers in Dawn Raid

Details of rescue came after 54 days in captivity for 39 schoolchildren and 7 teachers abducted in Oyo State have emerged.

Their freedom followed a coordinated dawn raid by a joint team of the Nigerian Army, Police, and the Department of State Services [DSS].

Security sources said the rescue operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday at a forest hideout in Oriire Local Government Area, where the abductors had held their victims since May 15, 2026.

—Weeks of tracking led to the raid—

According to officials, the operation was intelligence-led. The DSS tracked the movement of the abductors for weeks, using technical surveillance and human intelligence to pinpoint their exact location deep in the forest.

“Once we confirmed the location and that the victims were still together, the Army and Police moved in to execute the raid,” a security source said.

At daybreak, the joint forces surrounded the camp and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.

At least nine abductors were neutralised during the exchange.

The troops secured the pupils and teachers and extracted them without further casualties.

The rescued victims are on their way to Ibadan to meet Governor Seyi Makinde.

—The attack—

On May 15, armed men suspected to be linked to a Boko Haram faction attacked three schools in Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele communities of Oriire LGA.

The schools were Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.

The bandits abducted 39 pupils and 7 teachers. In captivity, Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher at Community High School, was reportedly beheaded by the abductors.

—What happens next—

Authorities said mop-up operations are ongoing to track other members of the gang.

The rescued children and teachers will undergo medical checks and counseling before being reunited with their families.

The rescue has brought relief to Oyo communities that have spent nearly two months praying for their return.