Oyo State suspends school excursions following mass pupil abductions

Following a series of severe kidnapping incidents and critical security breaches, the Oyo State government has directed all public and private schools to suspend field trips, excursions, and any student activities conducted outside their immediate institutional premises.

The mandate, issued through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, became a matter of immediate necessity as regional security concerns escalated.

Coordinated banditry triggers emergency safety protocols

The government’s intervention follows a coordinated offensive launched on May 15 by suspected armed bandits who targeted three educational institutions across the Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities, located within the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. During the raid, at least 45 pupils and their teachers were abducted from their classrooms.

The affected infrastructure includes Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinele. Security briefs indicate that the bandits attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Official ministry circular overrides prior academic approvals

In an official circular distributed to the heads of the Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), all permanent secretaries, and zonal directors, the ministry confirmed it is taking definitive steps to safeguard the lives of students and staff members throughout the state.

B.T. Oyinloye, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, signed the executive circular, which notes: “In view of the recent security concerns, all School Administrators are hereby directed to suspend all excursions, field trips, sports competitions and any other activities that require moving students outside school premises until further notice.

“Kindly note further that prior approvals granted by the Ministry are hereby overridden by this directive. Meanwhile, the safety of our children is non-negotiable and takes precedence over all academic and extracurricular activities”.

Strict compliance is demanded as law enforcement steps up monitoring

The state directive explicitly instructs school administrators to ensure all students remain within secured school boundaries during official hours. Furthermore, institutional leaders must immediately report any suspicious movements or unusual activities observed around their premises to local law enforcement agencies.

The restrictive security measure takes immediate effect and will undergo a formal review as soon as local intelligence indicates an improvement in the regional safety index. Government officials have stressed that strict compliance with the circular’s contents is mandatory across all administrative jurisdictions.