The Yoruba Council of Elders, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, has strongly condemned the coordinated abduction of pupils, students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esinele; and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The socio-cultural organisation made the condemnation on Thursday in a statement issued and signed by its Secretary-General, Chief Oladipo Oyewole.
The group described the attack on innocent children and their teachers as not just a crime against Oyo State, but also an assault on the conscience of Nigeria, the future of the South-West and the sacred right of every child to learn in safety.
“Schools must never become hunting grounds for kidnappers and bandits,” Oyewole said.
“In the face of this ugly occurrence, we call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately deploy special forces, intelligence assets and logistics support to ensure the safe and unconditional release of all abducted victims,” he added.
The socio-cultural organisation called on South-West governors in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos states to rise above partisan boundaries and deploy all available strategic resources and inter-state cooperation to secure lives and property.
“Without gainsaying, Yorubaland cannot afford to become the next frontier of mass abduction.
“The Oyo incident is a symptom of a deeper national crisis. It is in view of this that we call for the strengthening of community and regional security architecture all across Yorubaland,” Oyewole said.
The group advised South-West governments to, as a matter of urgency, provide the necessary training for the Amotekun security network, empower personnel with better equipment, as well as legal backing for intelligence-led operations.
“It is necessary at this crucial period for the six governors in the South-West to recognise the statutory roles of the office of the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, along with Chief Adeniyi Adeyemo, alias Sunday Igboho, and their immense contributions to promoting peace in Yorubaland.
“The six South-West governors should therefore engage them, along with similar indigenous security groups and other well-meaning persons and organisations in the South-West, to spread their dragnet in the protection of our territories,” Oyewole said.
The group also called on Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to quickly establish a joint security task force for real-time intelligence sharing across the six states to prevent cross-border movement of criminals.
“We further call on the Governor of Oyo State to quickly establish a joint security task force for real-time intelligence sharing across the six states to prevent cross-border movement of criminals.
Oyewole stressed the need for the deployment of Armed School Protection Units in high-risk local government areas, especially areas bordering forest spaces.
“There should be the deployment of Armed School Protection Units in high-risk local government areas, especially those areas bordering forest spaces,” he said.
“Our children all over Yorubaland are not to be used as collateral damage. Every day we delay this decisive action, we may lose another child’s future and another parent’s peace of mind.
“We stand with the families of the abducted students and sympathise with the family of the Mathematics teacher who was gruesomely murdered by bandits.
“We pray that the Almighty God shall grant all directly concerned the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” Oyewole said in the statement.
Read the full article here
