“I Can Lay Down My Life For Release Of Oriire School Children, Teachers” – Gov Makinde  … Reveals Army Lt’s  Death In Rescue Effort

Ongoing efforts to free abducted Oriire school children and their teachers in Oyo state have continued to record casualties.

Governor Seyi Makinde has announced that a lieutenant of the Nigerian Army was recently killed in the ongoing efforts to rescue the kidnapped Oriire school children and teachers.

He made the disclosure while addressing protesters led by activist and social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), in Ibadan .

On Friday, May 15, gunmen suspected to be members of a Boko Haram faction attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area (LGA), abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers, including the principal of one of the affected schools.

At the time, a joint rescue operation by soldiers, police and local vigilantes was disrupted after they encountered improvised explosive devices planted by the attackers, ⁠leaving several wounded.

Those injured ⁠received treatment.

Days later, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was killed in captivity.

The incident has attracted widespread outrage on social media and triggered protests demanding the release of the victims.

Hundreds of protesters led by VDM had  marched through major roads in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, before converging on the Government House.

Addressing the demonstrators, Makinde said security agencies are conducting a delicate operation aimed at securing the victims’ release without casualties.