Nigerians Want Answers After Oyo Pupils and Teachers Rescued from Kidnappers

The rescue of pupils and teachers taken in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has brought about mixed feelings among Nigerians. Many are happy about their return but are also asking for more details from the authorities about how the operation happened.

Bayo Onanuga, who is the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, shared the news of the rescue on Friday via a post on X.

"Finally, all the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oriire, Oyo, have been rescued by our security agencies.

"One of the rescued teachers in Oyo sends a thank you message to President Tinubu and the security agencies," Onanuga wrote.

The announcement came weeks after the pupils and teachers were kidnapped, which raised a lot of concern across the country.

In a video that was shared with the post, one of the rescued victims, Rachael Alamu, who is the Principal of Community High School, expressed her gratitude to Tinubu and the security personnel for their freedom.

"President sir, our father, we are grateful. We understand your commitment to our safety and we appreciate all you did for us.

"And every security operative, they tried so much and that is why we are still alive today. God bless you," she said.

Even with the joy of the victims' safe return, many Nigerians are questioning how the rescue was carried out. They are calling on the government to share details of the operation and reveal who was behind the abduction.

An X user named Hosea, under the handle #hoseatolu, asked, "Where are the kidnappers? How were they rescued? Nigerians deserve an answer. You can’t just rescue those children and their teachers without catching any of the bandits."

Another user, #salees01, congratulated the victims and their families but pointed out, "Congratulations to the families of the rescued pupils and their teachers. But where are the pictures of the purported terrorists arrested in the course of the rescue as claimed?"

Another commenter, #Castle_Rep, welcomed the good news but expressed worries about security in the country.

"This is great news. These people need justice and the government should do what is right. Where are the kidnappers? How were they released? What is the government doing to curb insecurity? These are the questions we need to ask," the user said.

Also calling for more transparency, #God_streasure7 said, "Make dem give full account abeg. We need to know what really happened."

User #LionelKuti suggested that authorities should reveal more about the operation.

"Name the terrorists and their sponsors. Name the location where the rescue operation happened and let Nigerians verify," the user wrote.

Another user, #REPRESENT042, asked for evidence of any arrests made.

"We need videos and pictures if they were truly caught. For too long we have heard claims about arrests or terrorists being neutralised without proof," the user said.

In the same vein, #loverbird0 stated, "We want to see the faces of the terrorists. Don’t hide them in DSS custody if this is not a staged drama."

Meanwhile, #EdmundOnoriode urged authorities to ensure quick action against anyone arrested related to the case.

"All those arrested should be publicly paraded and brought to swift justice immediately," the user wrote.

Others praised the security agencies and asked them to keep up the fight against crime.

#immob2 said, "Finally, this is good news. Now our gallant security forces should go after the criminals and bring them to justice. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

Similarly, #StixxSunny added, "Thanks be to God. I hope the government puts more measures in place to prevent this from happening again."