The Oyo State Government has dismissed viral social media claims suggesting that students and teachers abducted during last Friday’s coordinated attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area have been released.
The clarification was made on Thursday by Abayomi Fagbenro, Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, amid growing public anxiety and conflicting reports circulating online.
The attack, which occurred in the Ahoro-Esinle/Yawota axis of Ogbomoso in Oriire Local Government Area, resulted in the killing of at least two persons and the abduction of approximately 30 pupils, students and teachers from three different schools.
Since Wednesday night, several social media accounts had circulated claims that the kidnapped victims had regained freedom, while others questioned the authenticity of the reports due to the absence of confirmation from major news organisations or security agencies.
However, responding to enquiries on Thursday morning, Fagbenro categorically denied the reports, insisting that the abducted victims were still in captivity as of the time of speaking.
“As of 10:35 am, it’s not true,” he stated.
Similarly, the spokesperson of the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the police had not received any confirmed information indicating that the victims had been released.
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Ayanlade, who spoke at midnight on Wednesday, assured residents that security agencies were intensifying rescue efforts aimed at securing the safe return of all abducted persons.
The incident has continued to trigger nationwide concern over insecurity and the growing vulnerability of schools to attacks by armed groups.
Following the attack, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, ordered the deployment of additional detectives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to support joint rescue operations already ongoing in the affected communities.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, also called on security agencies to carry out what he described as a “careful, clinical and timely” operation to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers without endangering their lives.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters disclosed earlier this week that military troops had established contact with the abductors and were working toward the safe rescue of the victims.
Governor Makinde had earlier revealed that seven students were abducted from Community Grammar School, while 18 children and seven teachers were kidnapped from First Baptist Nursery and Primary School during the coordinated attacks.
The affected schools include Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and LEA Primary School, Esiele.
The governor also confirmed that one person was killed during the attack, although local reports suggested that the death toll may be higher.
The abduction has reignited concerns over the safety of schools in Nigeria, particularly in rural communities where security presence remains limited despite repeated attacks on educational institutions in recent years.