Amnesty International has welcomed the successful rescue of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted by gunmen in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, while calling on the Nigerian authorities to intensify efforts to secure the release of all children still being held captive by armed groups across the country.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, described the rescue as encouraging but stressed that many schoolchildren remain in captivity and require urgent government intervention. “The authorities must intensify efforts to ensure the safe rescue of all schoolchildren who remain in the custody of armed groups. No child should be abducted simply for going to school,” Sanusi said.
The rights organisation recalled that the attack on Community Grammar School and Local Authority School in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area, on May 15, 2026, formed part of a growing wave of attacks targeting schools and students across Nigeria.
According to Amnesty International, only days before the Oyo incident, 42 schoolchildren were abducted by gunmen in Askira Uba and Chibok Local Government Areas of Borno State. It also noted that weeks later, armed men invaded Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira Uba LGA, during the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, killing two teachers and one student before abducting 36 students.
The organisation said that although some of the victims have since regained their freedom, 25 of the abducted students, all girls, remain in captivity.
Sanusi warned that persistent attacks on schools continue to undermine children’s right to education and create fear among pupils, teachers and parents. “The Nigerian authorities must do more to ensure that children’s education is not further threatened by the fear of abduction. Schools must be places of safety, where no child has to choose between their education and their life,” he said.
Amnesty International urged the Federal Government to conduct thorough, independent, impartial and transparent investigations into all cases of school abductions and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted through fair trials.
The organisation also called for victims, survivors and their families to be granted access to justice, rehabilitation and effective remedies.
It further urged the Nigerian authorities to fulfil their obligations under the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child by implementing concrete measures to prevent future abductions and guarantee the safety of schools nationwide.
