The Nigerian army rescued 44 children and teachers just over a week ago after they were abducted from three schools on Wednesday, 15 May 2026. The schools were in Ahoro-Esinele community, Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State. The army reunited the survivors with their families early the following week.
At the time of writing this report, the rescued children and teachers were under observation in an undisclosed hospital guarded by the military. It is still unconfirmed if all 44 children were reunited with their families at the same time.
Between 40 and 45 hostages were taken from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, LA Primary School, and Community Grammar School. The schools are in predominately Christian communities; however, it’s not confirmed that all hostages are Christians.
The children and teachers were in captivity for 56 days.
Reuniting Families
The governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, visited survivors shortly after they arrived at the hospital. He confirmed that after 48 hours of medical observation, the military would officially transfer them to the government. The process to reunite them with their families was already underway. Many of the children had been asking for their parents.
“But also today, we are putting logistics together to at least bring the family members to come and see them,” Makinde said. “There’s a small girl in there who has been asking, ‘Where’s my mom? Where’s my mom?’ So, at least we want her mom to come and see her.”
It has been confirmed that Prof Alamu, husband of kidnapped school principal, Rachel Alamu, arrived at the specified location eager to see his wife after her release.
According to the BBC, “No official confirmation has been given of the victims’ ages, but children at such schools in Nigeria are typically aged between two and 18 years old.”
Tracking Down the Perpetrators
Survivors were rescued following an intelligence-led operation that lasted more than a month, targeting the kidnappers’ network and hideouts in the Old Oyo National Park and other parts of the country.
Traditional rulers in the local area had already asked the federal government to upgrade the single police station present, serving 730 villages, to a full-fledged divisional police headquarters.
The need for a stronger police presence across the country is evident.
On the day the rescued pupils in Oyo State were taken hostage, other young children were also kidnapped from their school over a thousand kilometres away in Borno State. No ransom has been asked for them, and their whereabouts are still unknown.
Please pray:
- Praise God for the lives of the children and teachers who were rescued. Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual safety of children still in captivity.
- Ask God to grant families wisdom to navigate reintroducing survivors to their communities.
- For the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of attackers to release their captives, love Jesus, and turn to Him for salvation
Stay updated with the latest prayer requests from the persecuted church.
