Security sources say the 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted from Ahoro-Esinle, Yawota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State could be freed soon, as troops close in on the gang holding them in the National Park forest.
Multiple security sources said operatives have surrounded a hideout in the forest believed to be sheltering the captives and have blocked the routes the kidnappers could use to flee with their hostages. The terrorists are said to have been effectively boxed in, with their movement severely restricted.
The abduction occurred on 15 May 2026, when gunmen stormed three schools in the council area and seized 46 people in total.
With the net closing, the kidnappers have reportedly turned to desperate measures, including the killing of one of the captured teachers, in what sources described as an attempt to pressure authorities into halting the rescue operation.
Demands scaled back
The gang had initially issued four demands: the release of detained commanders, a ransom payment, two Hilux vehicles, and the enforcement of Sharia-related laws in the area. Among those whose freedom they sought were Mahmud Usman (also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar) and his deputy Abubakar Abba (alias Isah Adam or Mahmud Al-Nigeri), both senior figures in Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group arrested by the DSS last year.
Sources say the kidnappers have since dropped most of these conditions and are now focused chiefly on securing a ransom.
Investigators have also established that the gang’s leader is an Oriire indigene who is believed to have been radicalised by Ansaru after living among residents in the area. The affected communities sit near Nigeria’s border corridor toward Niger Republic, close to the Kainji axis — a remote stretch with difficult terrain and no telecoms coverage.
Intelligence had reportedly flagged plans to target schools in the area beforehand, prompting some schools to shut temporarily as a precaution.
Wider security push
Sources linked the attack to a broader pattern: sustained military pressure against insurgent groups nationwide has pushed many fighters out of their usual strongholds and toward softer, rural targets like those in Oriire.
Security agencies, aided by DSS intelligence, are said to have made significant gains recently against Ansaru, Boko Haram and ISWAP, with more than 168 senior commanders reportedly neutralised and several others arrested. Many fighters are believed to have fled into neighbouring countries.
A senior security officer, speaking anonymously, expressed confidence that the campaign would succeed: “We will not relent in the ongoing offensive until these criminals are either eliminated or forced out of the country. President Tinubu has issued a strong warning to them, and the signs of victory are already showing.”
Police, Igboho clash over separate Igboho rescue claims
In another news, the Oyo State Police Command has rejected claims that Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Igboho secured the release of victims kidnapped in Igboho town, Orelope Local Government Area.
The claims followed an ultimatum from the activist, who had threatened to confront the kidnappers directly if hostages including a pregnant woman, her children and a sibling were not released within two hours. Videos that went viral shortly after showed residents celebrating in the streets, saying the victims had been freed.
The family had been seized in a midnight raid, with kidnappers reportedly demanding ₦300 million before lowering the figure to ₦150 million during negotiations.
Addressing local Fulani leaders in a widely shared video, Igboho warned against further attacks in the area, stressing it was his “father’s land” and that the abductions must stop.
However, Police Public Relations Officer DSP Olayinka Ayanlade said the force had found no evidence linking Igboho to any rescue operation and described the release claims circulating online as unsubstantiated, urging the public to rely on official channels for updates.
Source: Vanguard