ABUJA, Nigeria — Kidnappers holding dozens of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State and Borno State have demanded the release of detained terrorist commanders in exchange for the captives, stalling rescue missions due to difficult terrain and casualty fears as of Friday, June 5, 2026.
Okay News reports that presidency and security sources speaking on condition of anonymity stated that the abductors are demanding the release of Ansaru commanders Mahmud Muhammad Usman and Mahmud al-Nigeri from government custody. Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, previously announced the capture of the two commanders on August 16, 2025, following intelligence-led operations conducted between May 2025 and July 2025.
The abductions occurred on May 15, 2026, when armed men attacked the Esiele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, taking staff and students from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. On the same day, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Central Primary School, Government Day Junior Secondary School, and a SUBEB school in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting between 42 and 50 schoolchildren. One kidnapped teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was subsequently beheaded by the abductors.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, speaking at a national security media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, June 4, 2026, stated that the safe return of every child and teacher remains a top national priority. “On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, I wish to assure all Nigerians that the safe return of every child and every teacher currently in captivity remains a top national priority,” Idris said. He added that Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, authorized the deployment of a specialized rescue team and the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards.
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, met with a delegation from the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre in Abuja on Thursday to call for the immediate release of the captives. “The UN Resident Coordinator is deeply saddened that these school children and their teachers are still being held by armed groups. Schools must remain safe havens for learning and not places of fear. Children should never be a target,” Fall said in a statement.
A coalition of over 90 civil society organisations, including Amnesty International Nigeria and SERAP, issued a joint statement marking the 9th National Day of Mourning to condemn the ongoing insecurity. The coalition cited data indicating that at least 19,980 people have been killed and 12,362 abducted in the country since May 2023, including at least 865 students kidnapped from schools.
The Peoples Redemption Party National Chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, also issued a statement on Thursday calling for the resignation of President Tinubu due to the security situation. The National Association of Nigerian Students President, Akinteye Babatunde, stated in Abuja that the student body remains focused on supporting the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Nigeria Union of Teachers to ensure the safe return of all captives.
