Traditional worshippers perform spiritual rites to secure release of abducted Oyo pupils and teachers

Traditional religious practitioners in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have begun a series of spiritual rites aimed at securing the release of more than 40 pupils and teachers who were abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State about three weeks ago.

Dr Omolara Fashola‑MacGregor, wife of the Olu of Orile‑Ilawo, Oba (Prof.) Alexander Olusegun MacGregor, led the ceremony. Alongside other worshippers, she visited several sacred locations in Abeokuta, including the renowned Olumo Rock, to pray and invoke ancestral deities on behalf of the victims.

The gathering took place at an ancestral shrine in the Ogun State capital and was marked by expressions of grief over the mid‑May attack on the schools, which killed an assistant headmaster and resulted in the abduction of dozens of pupils and education workers.

Clad in traditional regalia that reflects their religious convictions, the worshippers carried out prayers, libations and supplications, calling for the safe return of the captives and divine judgment against those responsible for the abductions.

During the ceremony, Olori MacGregor explained that the spiritual intervention was deemed necessary amid ongoing security challenges that threaten vulnerable members of society.

“The cries of these innocent school children have reached the heavens,” she said. “We are invoking the spirit of our ancestors and the potent deities of our land to go into the deepest forests. May those who have taken these children find no sleep, no peace, and no safety until every single child and teacher is returned unharmed.”