Oyo Schoolchildren: Troops close in on kidnappers, ransom now main demand

There are fresh indications that security forces may be tightening the noose around the armed men holding schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, following reports that troops have blocked major escape routes around the Old Oyo National Park axis.

The abducted victims, widely reported as 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers, were seized on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked schools in Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and neighbouring communities in Oriire LGA.

The incident, one of the most shocking school abductions recorded in the South-West, has triggered fear among residents, protests by teachers and parents, and sustained calls for urgent action by both state and federal authorities.

According to Vanguard, multiple security sources familiar with the rescue operation said troops and other security operatives had surrounded a hideout within the National Park forest area, where the abducted pupils and teachers are believed to be held.

The sources were quoted as saying the terrorists had been “effectively contained within the forest,” with security operatives blocking possible escape routes and restricting their movement with the hostages.

PM News could not independently verify the operational details. However, Governor Seyi Makinde had earlier disclosed that security reports indicated that the victims remained within the wider Old Oyo National Park axis.

Makinde had said the area presented a major operational challenge because of its size and terrain, but assured families that the abducted children and teachers had not been forgotten.

“We cannot share the details of what we are doing, but you can rest assured that every single day, we continue to pursue every credible lead and take every lawful action available to us to secure their release,” the governor had said.

Security sources quoted in the latest report also claimed that the abductors had reduced some of their earlier demands as pressure from troops intensified.

The kidnappers were earlier reported to have made four major demands: the release of detained terrorist commanders, payment of ransom, provision of two Hilux vehicles, and the implementation of Sharia-related demands.

Among those reportedly named by the abductors were Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar, and his deputy, Abubakar Abba, also known as Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri. Both men have been described in reports as senior figures linked to Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram.

The latest report, however, claimed that the abductors have now dropped some of the earlier conditions and are focusing mainly on ransom payment.

The May 15 attack has continued to draw national attention because of the age of some of the victims, the targeting of schools, and reports that one of the abducted teachers was killed in captivity.

Defence Headquarters had earlier said the attack was carried out by JAS terrorists, commonly associated with Boko Haram, adding that the group had been dislodged from other areas by sustained military operations.

The attack also raised fresh concerns about the spread of terrorist and kidnap-for-ransom networks into parts of the South-West previously considered relatively safer than many communities in the North-East and North-West.

Following the abduction, the Nigeria Union of Teachers directed public school teachers in Oyo State to withdraw their services, citing fear and the continued captivity of their colleagues and pupils.

Parents of the victims have repeatedly appealed to the government to intensify rescue efforts and return their children alive.

Meanwhile, police authorities have continued to caution the public against unverified reports of release or rescue operations.