Oyo school abduction: 2-yr-old toddler among 46 victims 

•Communities list names, ages of victims 

•25 pupils, teachers still missing in Oyo — Police

By Kingsley Omonobi, Dapo Akinrefon, Adesina Wahab, Omeiza Ajayi, Olayinka Ajayi, Adeola Badru & Juliet Umeh

IBADAN—A two-year-old toddler, Christianah Akanbi, of Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, is among the 46 persons kidnapped by terrorists in some communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday.

According to community leaders, a total of 46 persons – seven teachers and 39 students – were abducted from Community High School Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. Four motorcycles were also snatched from villagers (three from the Yawota community and one from the high school).

25 pupils, teachers still missing — Oyo Police Command

However, the Police Command in Oyo State, yesterday, gave conflicting figures of the victims, saying 25 pupils and teachers remained missing.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television, saying the incident has heightened concerns over worsening insecurity and rising cases of mass abductions across the country.

Ayanlade said: “The attackers invaded the schools on motorcycles and abducted pupils and teachers during the coordinated operation.

“As of now, we have confirmation that seven students, 18 pupils and seven teachers are still missing. Those are the figures we can confirm for now.

On reports that the kidnappers had been trapped inside the National Park, Ayanlade declined to provide operational details.

“It is still an ongoing investigation and rescue operation. I wouldn’t want to comment on whether they are trapped or not because that may jeopardise ongoing rescue efforts,” he said.

Responding to questions over delayed intervention despite the scale of the abduction, he said: “It did not take too long. The communities are deep inside the forest terrain. Immediately the report came, the Commissioner of Police directed the Area Commander, DPO, tactical teams, Amotekun operatives and local vigilantes to move in.”

He explained that security operatives had to exercise caution because the abductors were using the victims as human shields.

“The children and teachers are with them. Any exchange of fire must be done meticulously because we do not want to jeopardise or risk the lives of the captives,” he added.

Although he refused to categorise the attackers as bandits or terrorists, Ayanlade described them as “criminals and men of the underworld.”

IGP deploys additional detectives

In a move aimed at securing the kidnapped persons, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has deployed additional detectives from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with a joint security team on ground.

The deployment, according to reliable security sources, is aimed at ensuring the rescue of the abducted persons unhurt.

A source said: “More detectives have been deployed from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with the joint security operatives on the ground.

“The kidnapped students and their teachers will soon breathe air of freedom as the government and the relevant security agencies are leaving no stone unturned.

“The security agencies will explore all opportunities to ensure that the students return to their respective parents safely.

“There is no cause for the parents and the entire people of the state to be apprehensive over the matter, as the government is on top of the situation.”

We’re deploying resources to secure return of victims— DHQ

Also, the Defence headquarters, yesterday, assured that the Armed Forces were deploying all necessary resources to secure the safe return of abducted victims of Oriire schools in Oyo State.

It, however, dismissed claims suggesting that terrorist groups have established a permanent operational base in Nigeria’s South-West.

The DHQ, in a statement by its Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, quoted the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Olufemi Oluyede, condemning the attack as “callous and reprehensible.”

The CDS expressed deep sympathy to the families of the victims, the government and people of Oyo State, and Nigerians at large over the incident, assuring that the Armed Forces of Nigeria were deploying all necessary resources to secure the safe return of the abducted victims.

General Oluyede urged Nigerians to “remain calm, united and supportive of security agencies during the ongoing operations.

DHQ clarified that intelligence available to the military does not support reports of any entrenched terrorist infrastructure within the forests or hinterlands of the South West.

It explained that the Armed Forces had previously conducted extensive clearance operations within the Old Oyo National Park, neutralising criminal elements operating in the area and significantly degrading their operational capacity.

“The incident was an isolated criminal act and does not reflect the existence of any entrenched terrorist structure in the region,” the statement noted.

DHQ further cautioned against narratives that could create panic among residents or exaggerate the strength and presence of criminal groups in the region.

It also disclosed that troops were currently conducting active operations within the forests in pursuit of the perpetrators and to rescue the abducted victims.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until every abducted victim is safely recovered and normalcy fully restored,” the statement added.

Confusion spreads in Oyo communities

Meanwhile, confusion briefly spread in the early hours of Monday across Ogbomoso and Ajaawa communities over alleged plans by gunmen to attack the areas.

However, the Oyo State Police Command dismissed the claims as a false alarm.

In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the Command said the panic was triggered by unverified rumours alleging a bandit attack around Are-Ago High School, Ogbomoso.

It’s a national disgrace — PFN

Meanwhile, outrage has continued to trail the abduction of school children and the brutal beheading of Mr Michael Oyedokun, one of the teachers at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele.

Condemning the action, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, expressed disappointment in the Federal Government over the heart-wrenching acts of insurgency spreading across Nigeria, despite the government’s repeated promise of safety and security, particularly for children.

The Christian body, in a statement by its National President, Bishop Francis Oke, described the attack as a national disgrace of the highest order.

Oke said: “Each new incident is an indictment of the Federal Government and exposes the failure of those assurances. Most disgraceful is the continued abduction of pupils across the country. No child should be forced to live in fear. Our foremost concern, therefore, remains the safety of the pupils, teachers, and staff of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oyo State.

“Our hearts are bleeding. We watched with horror the video released by the perpetrators, showing our brother—a devoted educator—bound, humiliated, and beheaded. This is not merely a heinous crime; it is a sacrilege against the sanctity of life, an assault on the teaching vocation, and a direct attack on the future of our nation.

“That such an atrocity could occur constitutes a national disgrace of the highest order. When armed gangs storm rural schools, kill those who resist, and carry away pupils and educators with impunity, the social contract between the state and the citizen is shattered. We are past the time for promises; we are tired of promises. Actions that will sweep away insurgency are what we want.”

Atiku to Tinubu: You can’t govern by obituary statements

Also reacting to the spate of criminal activities in some parts of the country, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the abduction in Oyo State and the killing of innocent Nigerians.

He said the tragedies exposed a government that has reduced leadership to post-tragedy press statements.

The former Vice President, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said he was particularly heartbroken by the murder of one of the teachers abducted during the Ogbomoso kidnapping, describing the continued bloodshed across the country as not merely a breakdown of security but a frightening collapse of leadership at the highest level.

He said: “At a time armed criminals are abducting schoolchildren, slaughtering innocent citizens, and turning communities into graveyards, President Tinubu’s response remains the same tired ritual: condemn the killings, threaten that the perpetrators will face the ‘full wrath of the law,’ and then wait for the next massacre.

“Nigerians have heard this script too many times. It has become painfully predictable and utterly meaningless.

“President Tinubu must stop governing by obituary statements. Enough of the recycled outrage. Enough of the empty threats. Nigerians are dying, and this government keeps responding with press releases.

“When terrorists can invade schools, abduct children and teachers, butcher pregnant women, sack entire communities, and disappear without consequence, it is because the authority of the state has collapsed.

“What comfort is ‘the full wrath of the law’ to families already burying their loved ones? What solace is another presidential statement to parents now terrified that sending their children to school may be a death sentence?.

Nigeria losing its humanity — Peter Obi

On his part, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday, described the killing and abduction as not just a security challenge but a “failure of collective humanity”.

Reacting to the incident and others, Obi, in a post on his X handle titled ‘A nation losing its humility’, decried the incident and tagged it a sign of moral and social decay.

He said: “Some events shatter a society so deeply that words are no longer enough to express the shock; the brutal killing of a teacher and the horrific rape and murder of an elderly woman are among such tragedies.

“These are not isolated incidents but signs of deeper moral and social decay. How did we get here? How did we reach a point where teachers are hunted and killed, and the elderly—custodians of memory and wisdom—suffer such dehumanising violence?

“This is more than a security crisis; it is a failure of collective humanity. We have become desensitised, consuming tragedy briefly and moving on, allowing indifference to normalise the unacceptable.”

OPC to FG, govs: 

Equip us to confront perpetrators of evil acts 

Meanwhile, the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, has protested and condemned what it called the avoidable kidnapping and killing of pupils and teachers in Oyo State as well as similar incidents in other parts of Yorubaland.

OPC’s President, Mr Wasiu Afolabi, accused governors in the South-West and other Yoruba-speaking states of ignoring the threat posed by suspected Fulani terrorists and the alarm the organisation raised in times past about the danger.

Afolabi, in a statement, said: “The kidnapping, killing and beheading of our defenceless Yoruba kinsmen in Yorubaland is not only condemnable, but it is highly provocative; and it will not be tolerated.

“We, hereby, urge the government to permit and equip the OPC and other self-determination groups to confront the threat posed by terrorists to terminate the insecurity being imported into Yorubaland from the North.

“Yorubaland is under attack. Long ago, we warned; we shouted. But our leaders continued to play politics and refused to act on the matter. Now we must face the reality that the enemies have surrounded us. 

“We will not tolerate a situation where our children cannot safely attend school, where our people cannot travel or where our farmers cannot farm because of some foreign elements.

“The time has come to take the bull by the horns and confront these unprovoked, cold-blooded and needless killings.”

Iru Ekun security network needed now—Sunday Igboho

The Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has urged the Federal Government and governors of the South-West states to urgently approve the operation of a proposed regional security outfit aimed at flushing criminal elements out of forests across Yorubaland.

Igboho, in a statement, said: “I am only awaiting government approval to confront the worsening insecurity devastating the South-West head-on.

“I do not want to commence our strategic and carefully coordinated offensive against these criminals without official approval from the Federal Government, South-West governors and relevant security stakeholders, including the Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army and other agencies.

“What happened in the Ahoro-Esinele community, as well as previous security breaches, is deeply saddening, unfortunate and alarming, especially considering the suffering endured by the victims of abduction, particularly the innocent pupils.

“This is the time to stop delaying decisive action capable of restoring peace, effective security and public confidence in our rural communities. 

, which continue to bear the brunt of these avoidable killings and attacks carried out by bandits across the South-West and parts of Kwara State.

“We are fully prepared, alongside our men, to enter these forests and flush out the marauders who have made life unbearable for our people. We cannot continue to stand by helplessly while innocent citizens are murdered and abducted by bandits, rogue herders and kidnappers.”

Oyo Advisory Council demands rescue of victims

Similarly, the Oyo State Advisory Council has condemned the deadly invasion, describing the attack as a tragic reminder of the worsening security challenges confronting the country.

The Council, led by its Chairman, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde, SAN, decried the killing of a teacher during the attack as well as the abduction of the school principal, other teachers and students.

In a statement, Ayorinde said: “The Oyo State Advisory Council unequivocally condemns the recent invasion by gunmen at the Ahoro-Esinele Community in Oriire Local Government Area, an act that has not only resulted in the tragic death of a dedicated teacher but has also led to the abduction of the principal, teachers and students of the school.

We’re not closing down because of banditry — LAUTECH

The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, has debunked rumours that the university has been shut down because of the fear that bandits want to invade the institution.

In a statement on Tuesday evening signed by Olalekan Fadeyi on behalf of the Registrar, Mrs Olayinka Balogun, the management of the university called on the public to disregard such claims.

“This is to strongly debunk the rumour making the rounds that the Management of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, has closed down the University for fear of invasion by bandits.

“This is to inform our students, their parents and guardians that there is no immediate reason for management of LAUTECH to close down the University, therefore the University is still in session.

“As a matter of fact, our students are currently writing their examinations and the exercise continues tomorrow.

“Management regrets whatever inconvenience this unfounded rumour may have caused.”

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