Reports that the pupils and teachers abducted during the May 15 attack on a community school in Oriire, Oyo State, have been rescued after 55 days in captivity have sparked wide jubilation across the country. Coming at a time when over 80 of the Chibok School girls kidnapped in a similar fashion since 2014 are still in captivity? Questions are being asked as to how the Oyo pupils could be rescued by coordinated military action, while the same has not been done in the Chibok case? What is the ‘magic’? The “magic” was no ransom, no violence on the Oyo kids — it was squarely a more than 50-day intelligence-led siege plus pressure.
The Oyo School abduction had a timeline. On May 15, 2026, gunmen hit 3 schools in Oriire LGA – Baptist Nursery & Primary School Yawota, Community Grammar School Esinle, and L.A. Primary School. Some 39 pupils and about 6-7 teachers were abducted. A 2-year-old toddler, Christianah Akanbi, was among them. One teacher was killed in captivity.
On July 10, 2026, Presidency announced that all 39 children and 6 teachers had been rescued with 8 kidnappers arrested. The ‘magic’ rested on 4 things as follows:
First was intelligence with siege, not storming. Governor Makinde said they were held in Old Oyo National Park – 2,500 sq km forest across 10 LGAs. Defense Minister Musa said the bandits had threatened -“if we come any closer, they’re going to kill all the kids”. They wanted a swap for their commanders in custody.
So security agencies did a slow, intelligence-driven encirclement instead of a raid to avoid casualties.
Second was Federal Government’s “No quid pro quo” together with pressure
Bayo Onanuga said there was “no quid pro quo in the rescue”. Instead, President Tinubu deployed 1,000 forest guards to Oyo. A specialized security unit with advanced rescue capabilities
Third, community and state coordination strategy. Governor Makinde reportedly worked with security agencies for weeks. He told protesters -“We will do anything to rescue the children… it’s a special type of operation because we do not want to lose any of those children”. The IGP Disu coordinated intelligence assets and tactical units.
Fourth, public pressure kept it on national radar. The NUT, NLC, NANS, CSOs protested nationwide. VeryDarkMan led protests to Governors office. That forced the Federal Government to prioritize it.
According to President Tinubu, “This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation”.
“We will get justice for these children and their teachers”.
People called it “magic” because 50 days is a long time, and in the SW, school kidnappings are rare. Most had been in the North. The fact that they got them out alive, with no ransom paid and no child killed during rescue, felt like a miracle to parents.
As it were, the Senate is probing the N144bn spent on “Safe Schools Initiative” with little to show. So when this one worked, people asked “how?” Actually, it was no magic. It was patience, forest siege, intelligence, and refusing to pay ransom even when bandits used the kids as leverage. Government says trauma counseling and support will be provided for families. Why have the military not employed the same strategy to rescue the Chibok and other abductees in the North? That’s the question every parent in the North has been asking since 2014.
Truth is that the Oyo rescue and Chibok/North rescues are not exactly the same problem. Different terrain, different enemy, different politics, and 12 years of failed attempts in the case of Chibok kidnap. The reasons why the “magic” from Oyo hasn’t worked in the North:
First the enemy is different. Whereas the enemies in Oyo were criminal bandits/gang, the Chibok enemy are Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists. The goal is different. While ransom and prisoner swap were the goal in Oyo, ideology, enslavement, forced marriage and propaganda were the goals in Chibok.
Second, whereas Oyo pupils were held for 50 days in the Old Oyo National Park, the Chibok girls are scattered across Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad, Cameroon, Niger. For the past 10 years. They don’t negotiate in good faith. Boko Haram/ISWAP don’t want money only. Many Chibok girls were forcefully married, indoctrinated, or moved across borders. Once they crossed into 3 countries, a “siege” won’t work.
Third, the terrain and scale are different. The Oyo kidnap involved some 39 kids, 1 forest, 50 days, SW Nigeria, no international border nearby. But in Chibok, 276 Chibok girls were kidnapped in 2014. Over 2,000 school abductions ever since spread across 6 states, 3 countries. The Sambisa Forest alone is bigger than Belgium. The military can surround 1 park. It can’t surround 4 states international borders at the same time for 10 years.
Fourth, in Oyo, rescue started in hours. Intelligence was fresh. Tracks were hot. But in Chibok, by the time real pressure mounted, the girls were split into more than 20 groups and moved. Government negotiated secretly, some were released, Some 98 girls are still missing. After more than 10 years, you don’t “siege” anymore — you’re searching for individuals.
Government has tried both kinetic negotiation in the North. In 2016-2018, swap deals released more than 100 Chibok girls. Critics said it funded Boko Haram. Military offensives Led to mass deaths. The military has rescued hundreds in raids, but also lost captives in crossfire.
Oyo happened in Tinubu’s own geopolitical zone. It got 1000 forest guards, Ribadu, Gbajabiamila, CDS, IGP all deployed in 2 months. The North has had 10 years of “emergency” and people got used to it. Donor fatigue, media fatigue, even military fatigue.
Oyo worked because it was fast, small, local, and early. Chibok failed because it was big, ideological, cross-border, and delayed. It is not that the military “won’t”. It’s that by year 3, the playbook changed. A siege doesn’t work when the hostages are already in 3 countries and married off. That’s why parents are angry. It feels like “your zone gets urgency, our zone gets excuses.
The Oyo rescue worked because it was short. The North is stuck because we never fixed the 3 problems that keep creating new Chiboks. Forest Guards plus State Police – Amotekun model: Tinubu deployed 1000 forest guards to Oyo. Senate wants same for all forest reserves. Local people who know the terrain.
Real-time tech: Drones, CCTV, radio in every school. Safe Schools Initiative had N144.8bn for this 2023-2026. Senate is probing where it went. Rapid Response Teams: 15-minutes response, not 2 hours. In the North that means air assets on standby. Border control: You can’t siege if kidnappers run to Niger/Cameroon. Need joint operations with neighbors.
What must change: Perimeter fencing, guards and early warning in every school, especially boarding. Community vigilantes linked to police. Day schools encouraged. Boarding in high-risk zone is risky. It is harder to kidnap 500 kids at once when they go home daily. Insurance and trauma support: Parents won’t send kids back if government abandons them after.
Dr. Onyekakeyah, a former member of The Guardian Editorial Board, is a public affairs commentator and Daily Query columnist.
