Oyo police say investigations into Oriire school abduction ongoing
The Oyo State Police Commissioner has assured residents that investigations into the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire LGA are ongoing.
The Oyo State Police Commissioner, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, has revealed that investigations into the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area are ongoing. He assured residents that the police remain committed to ensuring the safe release of the victims.
Olugbenga made the remarks while receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Correspondents Chapel, during a courtesy visit to the Eleyele Police Headquarters in Ibadan. He called for stronger collaboration between the police and the media to address insecurity, emphasising that effective policing requires the active support of journalists and the public.
The police commissioner said security is a shared responsibility, and both the police and the media must work together to promote public safety and combat misinformation that could undermine security operations. “We exist because we are part of society. Both the police and the media have responsibilities to the public. We need to collaborate to make things work in the interest of society,” Olugbenga said.
He cautioned journalists against speculative reporting, noting that the rise of social media has fuelled the spread of unverified information. “Speculative journalism has no place. What we need is lifetime investigative journalism. Nowadays, under the pressure of social media, anyone can fabricate stories without verification,” he said. He urged journalists to adhere to the principles of accuracy, fairness and professionalism.
The police commissioner also acknowledged the need to improve communication skills within the force, noting that not all officers possess adequate writing abilities. He welcomed the NUJ Correspondents Chapel’s proposal to organise joint capacity-building workshops for journalists and police officers to strengthen professional communication and mutual understanding.
Earlier, NUJ Correspondents Chapel Chairman Yinka Adeniran praised the police commissioner for his proactive, people-centred policing approach, noting that the command’s timely dissemination of information had strengthened relations between security agencies and the media. He expressed confidence in the police’s efforts to secure the release of the abducted students and teachers, urging the police not to be discouraged by public anxiety over the incident. However, Adeniran called for greater efforts to combat fake news and misinformation about security issues, warning that false reports often escalate public tension and undermine ongoing operations.
The Oriire abduction, which occurred on May 15, 2026, saw bandits abduct 37 pupils and teachers from a school in Oriire Local Government Area. More than 50 days later, the victims remain in captivity.
This echoes the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, when the government’s handling of the abduction became a major political issue. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: families waiting, investigations ongoing and a government struggling to secure the release of its citizens.
The winners: none. The losers: the families of the 37 abducted pupils and teachers, who continue to wait, and the Nigerian state, which has failed to secure the release of its citizens.
Bottom Line: Fifty days, 37 captives, investigations ongoing. The families are waiting. The police are investigating. The captives are still in the forest.