After Adelabu’s Sister Rescue, Nigerians Demand Swift Recovery Of Oriire Schoolchildren, Teachers

• Say Govt Should Not Only Care For The Influential, Connected
• As Police Kill Two Kidnappers, Recover Rifles

The successful rescue of Mrs Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force has sparked renewed public demands for the speedy recovery of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

NAIJAONPOINT reports that the rescue operation, carried out by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department-Intelligence Response Team in Ibadan on Saturday evening, has been widely celebrated across the country.

However, it has also reignited concerns over the fate of the Oriire victims, with many Nigerians urging security agencies to deploy similar urgency and resources towards securing their freedom.

In a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, the police said Mrs Adegoke and her sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted on June 3 while on their way to school in Ibadan, were rescued unharmed following sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and tactical operations.

The police disclosed that operatives tracked the movement of the kidnappers and engaged them in a confrontation during which two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded, while two rifles were recovered.

“The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support,” the statement added.

The development immediately generated reactions on social media, with many Nigerians commending the police for the successful operation while calling for similar breakthroughs in the ongoing efforts to rescue pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire.

NAIJAONPOINT gathered that across Facebook, X and other social media platforms, neti described the operation as evidence that security agencies possess the capacity to rescue kidnap victims when sufficient intelligence and operational resources are deployed.

Many, however, questioned why the same level of success had yet to be recorded in the Oriire case, with several commentators urging authorities not to relent until every abducted child and teacher regains freedom.

The debate became more pronounced following comments by presidential aide, Temitope Ajayi, who argued that comparisons between the rescue of Adelabu’s sister and the Oriire school abductions were misplaced because both incidents involved different operational circumstances and security dynamics.

Ajayi maintained that security agencies approach each kidnapping case based on prevailing intelligence, terrain, available leads and the behaviour of the criminal networks involved.

Despite that explanation, many Nigerians insisted that the successful rescue operation had raised public expectations regarding the fate of the Oriire victims.

Community leaders and parents of the abducted pupils also renewed appeals for urgent action.

Among them were Aduke Balogun and Grace Ojo, who spoke during separate engagements with international media on the trauma facing affected families since the abductions.

“We just want our children back,” Grace Ojo said, echoing the fears and frustrations of parents whose children remain in captivity.

Security analyst Cheta Nwanze described the abductions in Oyo State as a troubling development, warning that the spread of school kidnappings into Nigeria’s South-West represented a dangerous escalation of insecurity.

According to him, the incidents demonstrate how criminal networks previously concentrated in parts of the North-West and North-East are increasingly extending operations into other regions of the country.

Nwanze warned that insecurity and the government’s response to kidnapping would likely emerge as major issues in future political contests, particularly as citizens continue to demand greater accountability from public officials and security institutions.

The Oriire abductions have attracted widespread attention across Nigeria, with civil society groups, education stakeholders and community leaders expressing concern over what many describe as a growing threat to access to education and public safety.

While the rescue of Mrs Adegoke and her children has provided a rare moment of relief amid Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis, many observers say the operation has also intensified pressure on security agencies to secure similar outcomes for the abducted schoolchildren and teachers.

As security operatives continue the manhunt for fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate responsible for the Ibadan abduction, public attention is increasingly shifting towards Oriire, where anxious families continue to wait for the safe return of their loved ones.