A viral social media claim that all 46 schoolchildren and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State had been rescued has been officially debunked by the Oyo State Police Command, confirming that the victims remain in captivity 45 days after their abduction.
The misleading report spread rapidly across WhatsApp groups, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, claiming that security operatives had successfully rescued all the hostages in a daring joint operation. The post also alleged that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had suspended its strike following the rescue.
However, the Oyo State Police Command dismissed the report as false.
Speaking to Premium Times, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, described the claim as “unfounded, untrue and false,” clarifying that no such mass rescue had taken place.
The now-deleted Facebook post was reportedly attributed to presidential aide Tope Fasua and quickly gained traction across social media before authorities issued a denial.
What actually happened on June 29 was a separate rescue operation involving two children abducted on June 27 from Ebinpejo Village in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State.
According to police, operatives of the Oyo State Police Command, working alongside the Amotekun Corps, local vigilantes and hunters, launched a coordinated bush-combing operation after receiving credible intelligence about the kidnappers’ hideout.
The operation led to the successful rescue of the two children and the arrest of four suspects, including Sunday Idowu, 30, and Muhammed Ibrahim Shina, 29, who reportedly travelled from Ilorin, Kwara State, to participate in the abduction.
One of the rescued children sustained injuries during the incident and received medical treatment before both victims were reunited with their families.
While the rescue has been praised as a significant security success, it has also drawn attention to the unresolved kidnapping that has shaken Oyo State since May 15.
Thirty-nine pupils and seven teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area remain in captivity after 45 days.
The tragedy has already claimed several lives.
One teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed while in captivity. A Nigerian Army lieutenant also lost his life during rescue operations, while three vigilantes were reportedly killed during an earlier rescue attempt.
Reports indicate that the kidnappers initially demanded ₦1 billion as ransom and also requested the release of detained associates.
The last confirmed communication from the abducted victims came on June 9 when the school principal, Rachael Alamu, appeared in a video pleading for help.
In the emotional message, she appealed to authorities not to politicise the crisis and urged them to secure the hostages’ release peacefully.
Since then, there has been no confirmed communication from the victims, while the curfew imposed across 10 local government areas in Oyo State remains in force.
The indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Union of Teachers has also entered its fourth week as concerns over the safety of teachers and pupils continue to grow.
The false rescue report spread so quickly because many Nigerians desperately wanted it to be true. After more than six weeks without a breakthrough, public anxiety has reached a level where misinformation can easily gain widespread acceptance before official clarification arrives.
Although security agencies demonstrated that swift rescues are possible by recovering two kidnapped children within 48 hours in Ibarapa East, the prolonged captivity of the Oriire victims highlights the complexity of the May 15 abduction, which security observers believe involved a more organised criminal network with greater knowledge of the forest terrain.
The incident has also renewed calls for accountability over Nigeria’s school security system. Despite billions of naira reportedly spent on the Safe School Initiative since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, schools across several parts of the country continue to face attacks from kidnappers and armed groups.
Families of the abducted pupils and teachers continue to wait for concrete updates as security agencies intensify efforts to secure their release.
For now, police insist that the widely circulated rescue story was false, and that the 46 abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire remain in captivity, with their loved ones still hoping for the day the real rescue finally comes.
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