Kidnapped Oyo Headmaster Regains Freedom as Security Pressure Forces Release
The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the release of Mathew Owoade, the headmaster who was abducted in Itesiwaju Local Government Area, saying sustained security operations forced his captors to abandon him.
Owoade, a 60-year-old farmer and Headmaster of Nomadic Basic School, Ogodu, Igbojaye, was kidnapped on Saturday evening along the Igbojaye–Budo Aare bush road.
In a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said the victim regained his freedom after an intensive joint security operation launched immediately after the abduction.
According to the police, sustained investigative efforts and coordinated pressure mounted by security operatives compelled the kidnappers to release the headmaster on Monday evening.
“Following the immediate deployment of a coordinated joint security operation and sustained investigative efforts by the command, the intense operational pressure mounted on the abductors forced the hoodlums to abandon the victim, who regained his freedom on the evening of July 13, 2026,” the statement read.
The police said Owoade has been taken to a medical facility for evaluation and necessary treatment.
It added that he would be debriefed by investigators after receiving medical attention as part of ongoing efforts to identify, apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the abduction.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Olugbenga Abimbola, commended other security agencies, members of the local community and residents for their cooperation during the operation.
He also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state, assuring residents that security agencies would continue to pursue criminal elements and deny them safe haven in Oyo State.
Owoade’s release comes barely a day after the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Oyo State Wing, raised alarm over his abduction and appealed to security agencies to secure his immediate rescue.
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