Police Smash Viral Rumors of Movement Restrictions After Mass School Raids; Command Urges Calm as Search for 40 Abductees Intensifies in Forest Trenches

The Oyo State Police Command has moved swiftly to douse rising panic across the state, flatly denying viral online reports that a blanket curfew and sweeping movement restrictions have been slammed on Ogbomoso and the wider Oriire Local Government Area. Authorities labeled the trending texts as the handiwork of mischief-makers capitalizing on recent security fractures to destabilize public order.

The wave of anxiety follows the horrific security breach on Friday, May 15, 2026, when heavily armed bandits simultaneously raided three educational centers in the Ahoro-Esinle community near Ogbomoso, marching over 40 pupils, students, and institutional staff into the wilderness. As families endure an agonizing wait for updates, panic-mongers exploited the tension, broadcasting fake security alerts on social media platforms claiming that major transit routes had been locked down under an executive emergency manual.

Reacting to the developments, State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, issued an absolute clarification, urging the public to completely disregard the false narrative. The command emphasized that no 24-hour curfew has been declared by either Governor Seyi Makinde or the Inspector-General of Police.

“Businesses, markets, and transport portals remain fully open,” Ayanlade stated. “We have not restricted the movement of law-abiding citizens. Spreading unverified shutdown orders only serves to criube local commerce and aid the psychological tactics of criminal elements.”

While the state’s economic pipelines remain unblocked, the Oyo State Ministry of Education has implemented a separate targeted security shield. In a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. B.T. Oyinloye, the government has announced the immediate suspension of all out-of-school excursions, field trips, and external sporting events across the state. The directive overrides all prior approvals, forcing school administrators to keep students strictly within their immediate compound walls during school hours until local security metrics improve.

The police command assured residents that rather than locking down towns, tactical assets have been pushed deep into the rural trenches. A heavy combined force of the military, police anti-kidnapping squads, and local vigilante structures are currently executing advanced bush-combing drills inside the dense terrain of the Old Oyo National Park. With the federal and state governments coordinating a highly technical rescue operation to bring the abducted children home safely, authorities have urged the public to offer actionable intelligence rather than magnifying fake reports that drain vital emergency resources.