Nigerian security forces reported suffering casualties during the rescue operation that freed over 40 kidnapped schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo state, southwest Nigeria. The rescue, announced on Friday, ended a nearly two-month ordeal after the victims were seized from three schools in Oriire local government area. The operation was conducted in coordination with intelligence agencies, police, and local vigilante groups.

The government has attributed the abductions to militants from Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group traditionally active in central Nigeria and more recently extending into the southwest. President Bola Tinubu identified the group as responsible, while Defense Minister Christopher Musa noted the kidnappers sought to use the hostages as leverage in negotiations with the government, which is currently detaining some of the group’s commanders. Musa also reported that the kidnappers threatened to kill the captives if security forces attempted a rescue.

The military’s month-long campaign targeted the broader network behind the kidnappings, dismantling hideouts in the forests of Old Oyo National Park and making several arrests nationwide. According to a military statement, these actions disrupted the militant group’s operations and pressured them into unconditionally releasing the captives. The rescued children and teachers are currently receiving medical care at a military facility in Ibadan, Oyo’s capital.

Senator Abdulfatai Buhari of Oyo state described the victims as frail, noting that some were as young as two and three years old, and expressed deep emotional distress over their condition. Governor Seyi Makinde has arranged for family visits and highlighted the need for medical and psychological support to address trauma caused by the captivity.

The kidnappings have sparked widespread protests and a state-wide teachers’ strike, reflecting deep public concern. The incident has heightened tensions just months ahead of Nigeria’s January 2027 presidential elections. A spokesman for President Tinubu accused opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar of politicizing the crisis during the campaign period.

Southwest Nigeria, including Oyo state and the economic hub Lagos, has long been viewed as one of the country’s safer regions amid a broader national security crisis marked by the spread of jihadist groups and armed gangs, often referred to as bandits. Mass abductions of schoolchildren have been a recurrent tactic employed by these groups to demand ransoms or make political points. The most notorious example was the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria, by Boko Haram militants. This latest event marks a concerning expansion of violence into regions previously considered relatively secure.