Tears, joy as abducted Oyo pupils reunite with parents

The heavy cloud of grief and anxiety that hovered over Oyo State for nearly two months finally broke on Tuesday afternoon.

In highly emotional scenes at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, parents wept openly, sang songs of thanksgiving, and fell to their knees in prayer as they reunited with their children. The pupils and teachers had been held by heavily armed terrorists for **56 grueling days** in the dense forests of the region.

The hospital premises, which had been silent with tense anticipation from the early hours of the morning, erupted into loud cheers and tears of relief as medical authorities began clearing the children for discharge.

As the Chief Medical Director of LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Prof. Olawale Olakulehin, stepped forward with the official list of those certified fit to return home, a hush fell over the crowd of waiting families.

When names like Testimony, Aliyu Ahmed, Elizabeth Abati, and Joshua Adeleke echoed through the courtyard, the barrier of protocol dissolved. Mothers rolled on the floor in absolute gratitude, while fathers lifted their young children into the air, holding them tightly for the first time since their mid-May abduction.

"God of heaven and earth, I thank you! I thank Governor Seyi Makinde, President Tinubu, the Army, the vigilantes, and everyone who stood by us in prayer,"* cried one mother, shaking with emotion as she held her young daughter, Testimony.

Another mother wept tears of profound relief, thanking God that all four of her abducted children, along with her daughter-in-law, had made it out of the forest alive.

Among those leaving the facility was Mary Dahunsi, a rescued schoolteacher. Clasping her baby tightly to her back as she walked out alongside her husband, she whispered simple words of survival: *"We thank God for life."*

The journey to this reunion was nothing short of a living nightmare. On **May 15, 2026**, heavily armed bandits stormed three schools in the Oriire Local Government Area—Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), L.A. Primary School, and Community Grammar School (Ahoro-Esienle)—forcefully taking 39 pupils and six teachers into the wilderness.

Recounting the 56-day ordeal, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, the Principal of Community High School, described a hostage experience defined by terror, starvation, and constant evasion.

*Evading the Military:* Whenever the kidnappers suspected security forces were closing in on their location within the Old Oyo National Park, they forced the hostages onto their feet. "Sometimes we walked for three to four hours deep into the night, starting around 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM," Alamu recalled.
*Physical Abuse:* The captors routinely beat the younger children to keep them quiet and compliant. The adult male captives were subjected to even harsher treatment—kept blindfolded, handcuffed, and heavily chained throughout their captivity.
*Cold-Blooded Killings:* The survival of the 44 came at a tragic cost. One teacher, Adegboye Adesiyan, was shot dead during the initial ambush. Another, Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher, was brutally executed in captivity. Mrs. Alamu revealed that the terrorists killed them intentionally, recording the killings to terrorize the public and pressure the government into meeting their steep demands.

The 44 survivors were officially rescued on **Friday, July 10, 2026**, through a highly coordinated, intelligence-led joint operation involving the Nigerian Army, Navy Special Forces, Air Force, DSS, Police, and local vigilantes. Following a formal handover to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, they were moved to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital for comprehensive physical and psychological evaluations.

Hospital sources confirmed that **35 victims**—including 31 children and several adults—were officially discharged on Tuesday. A small group of eight victims remains under medical observation, though they are reported to be in stable condition.

During the exhaustive clinical evaluations, pediatricians made an unexpected discovery. One of the rescued pupils was diagnosed with a **congenital heart defect (a hole in the heart)**—a serious medical condition the parents were entirely unaware of before the kidnapping.

Hospital management has confirmed they are coordinating directly with the Oyo State Government to sponsor and facilitate the specialized cardiac care the child will require going forward.

Despite the severe trauma of the past two months, the spirit of the Oriire community remains remarkably unbroken. While receiving their children, several parents firmly rejected suggestions of abandoning their homes or relocating from the border communities.

"We have nowhere else to go. This is our home,* one parent stated defiantly. For these families, the physical scars will take time to fade, but the joy of having their children back in their arms has marked the official beginning of their healing journey.