Many kidnapped students and teachers have been rescued in Nigeria | Military Issues

The hostages were taken from three different schools in the southwest of Oyo state in May.

Two months later take over In the south-west of Nigeria, many students and teachers have been rescued, the President said.

In a statement on Friday, President Bola Tinubu said he was “very happy” that Nigerian security agencies rescued the students and teachers, 56 days after they were kidnapped from three schools in the southwest of Oyo state.

Eight of the terrorists have been arrested and others who have not been named have been killed, Tinubu said.

On May 15, 46 students and staff were kidnapped from two primary schools and one secondary school. The government says people are being kidnapped by Boko Haram.

The youngest child who was taken was two years old, while the oldest was 16 years old. One of the teachers was killed shortly after the kidnapping.

Writing on X, President’s spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said all students and teachers have been rescued.

School robberies are rampant in Nigeria, as armed groups seek greater ransom from the government and citizens.

The situation has worsened due to the security crisis, caused by the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east of the country. In 2024, criminals received more than $1.6m in ransom payments, according to SBM Intelligence.

“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff that lasted for over 50 days and has brought relief to the nation and the affected families,” Tinubu said in a statement.

“On behalf of this country, I thank the commanders and men of our army, law enforcement agencies and police for saving the children and their teachers.

Before the May 15 attacks, school robberies occurred in northern Nigeria. The kidnapping in Oyo, in the southwest, has raised concerns that the security crisis may worsen.

It is not clear how the students and staff were rescued, but Onanuga said “there was no quid pro quo in the rescue”.

Earlier this week, the Minister of Defense, Christopher Musa, said that the terrorists were planning to use the hostages as a way to pressure the government to release some of their officers from prison.