For 56 days, the families of dozens of pupils and teachers abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State lived with fear, uncertainty and unanswered questions over the fate of their loved ones.
Naijaonpoint reports that the ordeal began on May 15, when terrorists invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School, taking pupils and teachers into captivity.
The coordinated attack threw the affected communities into panic, disrupted academic activities and heightened concerns about the spread of mass school kidnappings to the South-West.
Parents, relatives and residents waited anxiously for information as security agencies launched operations to locate the victims and track their abductors.
The search involved personnel of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security formations operating under the coordination of the Office of the National Security Adviser.
During the period of captivity, two teachers reportedly lost their lives, deepening the anguish of families and members of the affected school communities.
The remaining victims eventually regained their freedom last Friday, 56 days after they were taken away.
They were evacuated to Ibadan, where they underwent initial medical examinations and security debriefing at the Headquarters of the 2 Division Medical Services and Hospital, Odogbo Military Cantonment.
The Nigerian Army subsequently handed them over to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday.
Following their handover to the state government, the rescued pupils and teachers were transferred to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, for further medical attention.
They were admitted for comprehensive examinations, treatment and psychological care after spending nearly two months in captivity.
Healthcare professionals assessed their physical condition and monitored them for possible complications arising from inadequate nutrition, exposure, stress and the trauma of their abduction.
Parents and relatives thronged the hospital the following day, eager to see the children and teachers whose whereabouts had remained uncertain for weeks.
Emotions ran high as some family members were allowed into the facility to identify and reunite with their loved ones.
The mother of Testimony, one of the youngest children among the victims, broke down in tears as she embraced her daughter.
“Merciful God, I thank You. I never imagined that my daughter, Testimony, would return to me safe and fill my heart with joy. Who am I that You should love me so much?
“I also thank President Bola Tinubu, Governor Makinde, and the security agents. May God Almighty bless you all,” she said, clutching the child tightly.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Olawale Olakulehin, later disclosed that 31 of the rescued children had been certified medically fit, discharged and reunited with their families.
Eight others remained under observation and treatment to ensure their full recovery.
Olakulehin also revealed that specialists discovered a congenital heart defect in one of the children during the comprehensive medical evaluation. The child’s parents were reportedly unaware of the condition before the examination.