RismadarVoice Reporters
July 3, 2026
The Oyo State Government has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it paid a ransom to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
The state government said this while reacting to comments made by social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who alleged in a Facebook post on Friday that ransom had been paid to the kidnappers but the victims were still being held captive.
Responding to the allegation, the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said the report was entirely untrue and accused bloggers of spreading misinformation capable of causing unnecessary panic among the public.
Oyelade maintained that neither the Oyo State Government nor the Federal Government had paid any ransom in connection with efforts to secure the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
He explained that security agencies and relevant authorities at both the state and federal levels are continuing coordinated efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the victims, who were kidnapped on May 15 in Oriire Local Government Area.
The commissioner urged residents and members of the public to disregard what he described as false reports and rely only on verified information released through official government communication channels.
He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to working with the security agencies to secure the safe return of all the abductees and bring the unfortunate incident to a successful conclusion.
