On Friday, the Nigerian army announced that 44 pupils and teachers from three Oyo schools—Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School, and Community Grammar School—had been rescued.
Families and teachers, including Oyo State teachers’ union leader Hassan Ajibola, greeted the news with relief but also highlighted the ongoing lack of protective measures for schools.
The operation involved soldiers, police, intelligence agencies and local vigilantes and focused on dismantling hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park, an area known to support criminal networks.
While the army credited the safe return of the captives, it admitted that some soldiers were killed and suspects remain in custody, signalling a continuing threat to community safety.
Indigenous communities, whose cultural and educational lands have suffered during the recent wave of abductions, are calling for the full implementation of the Safe School Initiative and stronger local security.
