The Oyo State Government has dismissed allegations that it paid ransom to secure the release of 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers abducted by gunmen in Oriire LGA on May 15.
The claim surfaced in a viral video shared on X by social media influencer Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who alleged that the state government had paid kidnappers but the victims were yet to be released.
“Yesterday, I got information that the Oyo State Government paid ransom for the release of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted on May 15. But the kidnappers collected the money and have still refused to release the children,” he said.
Responding to the allegation, Oyo Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, described the claim as “far from the truth” and accused “irresponsible bloggers” of spreading misleading information capable of causing confusion.
“Although both the Oyo State and Federal Governments have been making concerted efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted children and their teachers, no ransom has been paid to the bandits, either directly or indirectly,” Oyelade said.
He urged residents to disregard the report and rely only on information issued through official government channels.
Oyelade also stated that the government remains in active collaboration with security agencies to ensure the safe return of the abducted victims and bring the incident to a close.