Oyo Students’ Abduction: Makinde assures rescue as protesters

OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has reassured residents that efforts are ongoing to secure the release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in the state, insisting that the government is fully committed to bringing them home safely.

The governor gave the assurance on Tuesday, June 16, while addressing protesters, including social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, who gathered at the Government House in Ibadan to demand urgent action over the prolonged captivity of the victims.

Makinde said the abduction had personally affected him, noting that the victims, nursery and primary school pupils alongside their teachers, had now spent over a month in captivity.

He explained that while the government was working on the rescue operation, operational secrecy limited what could be disclosed publicly.

According to him, “Because of the nature of the security situation that is involved, I cannot divulge a lot of information.”

He added that the situation required a carefully coordinated response aimed at preventing further harm to the victims.

Makinde also said authorities were taking extraordinary measures, including engagement with the abductors, though he acknowledged the ethical and political weight of such negotiations.

He further assured residents and the protesters that the state’s priority remained the safe return of the victims, adding that lessons would be drawn from the incident to prevent a recurrence once the children are freed.

Meanwhile, The ICIR reports that tension has continued to build across Nigeria as protesters marked 32 days since the abduction occurred in the Oriire Local Government Area.

Demonstrators, led by VeryDarkMan, marched through major parts of Ibadan, chanting slogans demanding the neutralisation of armed groups responsible for repeated kidnappings.

Many of them reportedly carried placards calling for stronger security interventions and accountability from both state and federal authorities.

At the Iwo Road axis, the protest briefly intensified as VeryDarkMan addressed the crowd, warning that continued inaction could worsen insecurity nationwide. The march later proceeded to the Government House, where protesters reiterated their demands for the immediate rescue of the abducted students and teachers.

The demonstration later moved to the Governor’s Office at Agodi, where protesters demanded immediate rescue efforts and improved protection for schools.

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The ICIR reports that similar solidarity actions had also been recorded in parts of the state in recent weeks. The protests followed the abduction of pupils and teachers in Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.in Oriire Local Government Area of the state on May 15.

Eyewitness accounts and earlier reports indicated that the attackers arrived shortly after 9 a.m. on motorcycles, some dressed in military-style uniforms, initially causing confusion among residents who mistook them for security personnel.

The assailants reportedly split into groups and simultaneously attacked the schools, firing shots to disperse pupils and staff before rounding up victims. Children were forced onto motorcycles, while others were taken in vehicles seized from the communities, with some abductees transported into nearby forest routes.

The incident later triggered widespread outrage across the country.

Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M