Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has visited the rescued victims of the Oriire Local Government school a.bduction at the 2 Division Nigerian Army Medical Facility, expressing gratitude over their safe return and assuring them of continued medical and psychological care.
The victims include all 39 abducted pupils and five of the seven teachers who were held captive for several weeks. During the visit on Saturday, Makinde interacted with the children and their teachers, describing their rescue as a major success and commending the security personnel who made it possible.
Makinde also paid tribute to the security personnel who lost their lives during the rescue operation, assuring their families that their sacrifices would never be forgotten.
“I am very happy that the children are back, all 39 of them, alongside five of the seven teachers. We give glory to God, and we appreciate our troops, the officers and men who played a significant role in securing their release,” the governor said.
“We also remember the officers and personnel we lost during this process. To all the families who lost their loved ones, we want to assure them that their sacrifices will not be in vain,” he said.
According to the governor, the rescued victims were excited to regain their freedom, although some remained physically weak and would require further medical treatment and trauma counselling.
Makinde explained that the victims would remain under medical and psychological evaluation for the next 48 hours before being formally handed over to the Oyo State Government and reunited with their families.
“Having interacted with the children and their teachers, I can say that they are happy to be out of captivity. When anyone’s freedom is taken away, it affects their state of mind, but they are grateful to be back.
“Some of them are still very weak and will require medical attention. There are also post-traumatic issues that need to be addressed, but we have a team ready to provide the necessary support and care,” he added.
“By Monday, we expect that an assessment will have been completed, and there may be a formal transfer from the military to the state government. From there, we will manage the process going forward,” he said.
The governor further revealed that arrangements were already underway to allow family members to visit the rescued victims, especially a young girl who had repeatedly asked to see her mother.
“Today, we are already putting logistics in place to allow some family members to come and see them. There is a little girl among them who has continuously been asking, ‘Where is my mum? Where is my mum?’ We want to make it possible for her mother to come and reunite with her,” Makinde said.
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You have done well Mr Governor