Oyo school abduction: rescue efforts intensified, victims to be freed soon — DIG

DIG Fayoade Assures Abducted Oyo Pupils Will Soon Be Freed

The South-West Coordinating Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, has assured that pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo State will soon regain their freedom, saying security agencies and government authorities are intensifying efforts to secure their release. Fayoade gave the assurance on Monday during a working visit to the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja, stressing that all available resources were being deployed to rescue the victims.

The update is that all agencies, including government, are working very hard. And I can assure you within the shortest possible time, the children and their teachers will be free.

— DIG Adegoke Fayoade

DIG Dismisses Reports of a Shift to Ransom Demands

The DIG dismissed reports that kidnappers had shifted their demands from the release of detained leaders to ransom and the release of foot soldiers, insisting that the police remained focused on rescuing the victims rather than discussing ransom.

We don't know anything about ransom because we don't talk about ransom. All efforts are directed towards getting the abductees free from the capture.

— DIG Adegoke Fayoade

Fayoade Outlines AI, Recruitment and Welfare Plans for South-West Policing

During the visit, Fayoade also outlined plans to strengthen policing across the South-West through improved manpower, enhanced welfare packages, intelligence-led operations and technology-driven policing. He disclosed that the Force was investing in a national data centre and exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence to improve investigations and intelligence gathering. He said the ongoing recruitment of 40,000 policemen would help address manpower shortages, while improved welfare remained a top priority of the Inspector-General of Police.

Lagos Command Reports Major Crime-Fighting Gains Since March

Earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, said the command had recorded significant successes in crime prevention and control through intelligence-driven operations and modern policing techniques. According to him, the command foiled 28 armed robbery incidents, arrested 71 robbery suspects and 133 cultism suspects, and recovered 60 firearms and 625 rounds of ammunition since he assumed office in March 2026.

Fatai, however, revealed that seven police personnel lost their lives in the line of duty during the period, while 300 others sustained injuries. He reaffirmed the command's commitment to maintaining Lagos as one of the safest states in the country.