Oyo school abduction: Over 30 days of fear and uncertainty

It is a universal truism that a corpse looks like firewood until one discovers that the deceased is his/her relation.

Simply put, men hardly understand the pains of losing a close relation until it happens to them; that could best describe the agony of relatives of victims kidnapped from Yawota and Esiele in Oriire LGA of the Oyo State.

Every sunrise brings renewed anxiety for the families of the schoolchildren and teachers. It is exactly 37 days since the schoolchildren and teachers were whisked away by unknown gunmen, leaving their parents, siblings and loved ones behind, while trapped in a nightmare of uncertainty.

With each passing day, concerns over their welfare deepen, turning what was once hope for a quick rescue into an excruciating wait that underscores the human cost of insecurity.

Imagine parents who took their two-year-old children to school only to lose them in the traumatising hands of abductors for 30 days. What are these children eating, where are they sleeping, and what kind of dangers are they being exposed to at this tender age?

The teachers, especially the female ones, are being exposed to all manners of abuse and torture, yet the politicians seem not perturbed, or how best could this be described?

If they perturbed, as some may claim, how come they continued their political campaigns and other engagements without blinking an eye, one may be tempted to ask.

Maybe that is why Frederick Agbedi, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, faulted President Bola Tinubu’s failure to visit Oyo State in the wake of the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the state.

Nothing seems to bother both the Oyo State and the federal government, except how to win the 2027 elections.

According to Aristotle, “The primary responsibility of every government is the protection of the lives and properties of its citizens.

Therefore, he proposed that any government that fails to protect the lives and properties of its people should be shown the way out by its citizens.

It is unexplainable that after President Bola Tinubu budgeted N4.91 trillion, out of his N49.7 trillion in 2025 budget proposal, and N5.41 trillion in 2026, for defence and security, Nigeria has not been able to subdue insecurity, especially schoolchildren abduction.

According to the SB Morgen (SBM) Intelligence, a geopolitical research firm report, “Nigerians paid at least $1.66 million (N2.57 billion) to kidnappers between July 2024 and June 2025, out of the total amount of N48 billion demanded by them.”

and this has made banditry to be like lucrative business.”

The report further explained that at least 4,722 people were abducted in 997 incidents, in which at least 762 people were killed in the same period.

In the SBM report titled ‘Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry,’ Nigeria’s kidnapping crisis was described as evolving into a lucrative criminal enterprise, which obviously is the reality on the ground today.

Adekunle Oguntimehin, parent, described the prolonged release of Oyo abduction victims as depicting the lacuna in the government’s effort at tackling the wave of banditry and insecurity challenges in the country. “Ironically, the huge percentage of funds allocated to tackling this menace has not been justified, and this is a slap in the face of the country.

“As a parent, I’m disturbed that school children are now the target of kidnappers afflicting pain on parents,” he said.

In addition, he said, “If the government is feeling the pains of the parents, they will go all out to secure the release of the children, and their teachers, who are being traumatised daily.”

Nubi Achebo, director of academic planning at Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM), feels sick about the Nigerian government allowing some school children as young as two years old to be in captivity since May 15.

“No child should have to spend weeks in the bush with armed men. The fact that this is the first time in Nigeria that nursery/primary pupils have been abducted like this makes it even more disturbing,” he said.

Achebo called on the government to ensure better communication with the families of the victims, and operational secrecy is in place, bearing in mind that silence fuels fear and rumours.

“The 1,000 forest guards President Tinubu approved should be paired with real-time surveillance and community trust.

“The government needs to ensure that the release of the schoolchildren and teachers doesn’t drag on for years. There’s a need for a clear timeline and accountability,” he noted.

Christopher Nmeribe, a teacher, said, “As a teacher, I feel deeply saddened and disturbed by this situation. The prolonged captivity of schoolchildren is not only a security failure; it is a serious threat to the future of education and the psychological well-being of the children, their families, and the entire society.”

Nmeribe emphasised that schools should be places of safety, learning, and hope, not a place where children become targets of criminals.

“Every day these children remain in captivity while the government engages in unwholesome political rhetoric is a day stolen from their education, their growth, and their childhood,” he said.

With more than 30 days gone and no resolution in sight, attention is increasingly turning to the authorities and security agencies tasked with securing the victims’ release.

For the affected families, however, the priority remains unchanged: the safe return of their loved ones and assurances that such a tragedy will not be repeated.