Let Oyo pupils and teachers be rescued

In a bid to rescue the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, President Bola Tinubu recently approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Oyo State. He also ordered the deployment of a specialised rescue team to assist in the rescue operation in the state. The schoolchildren and teachers were abducted by bandits some weeks ago from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The bandits raided Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School on May 15, 2026, and abducted scores of pupils and teachers. Not less than 45 schoolchildren and some teachers were kidnapped in the incident. Unfortunately, one of the kidnapped teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by the bandits.

The Oyo school abduction has elicited public outcry as well as protest marches in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt. It is sad that over two weeks after the incident, and some days after announcing the measures to rescue the school children, they are still in captivity.

Let the authorities hasten action to free the abducted schoolchildren and teachers. Allowing them to remain in captivity for almost a month is not tidy. The abduction of schoolchildren is a disincentive to education. Abduction will make children to dread going to school. The parents of the victims are equally traumatised. The deployment of the forest guards should be seamless. There is no time to waste. Their rescue is what matters now.

Let the Oyo State incident be a test case on the efficiency and capabilities of the forest guards. On May 15, 2025, President Tinubu launched the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative in response to the insecurity associated with forests in Nigeria. This was in consequence to the February 2024 meeting between the president and state governors, in which the states were directed to recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 forest guards. The aim was to check the activities of bandits, kidnappers and other illegal groups hiding in the forests and mountains to carry out their nefarious activities. The first batch of over 7,000 forest guards was deployed by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states, which are the seven frontline states, on December 27, 2025.

The impact of the agency should be felt across the country. The Oyo State assignment is therefore an opportunity for the officers of the forest guards to demonstrate their competence in line with the philosophy of their recruitment and training. While the deployment of the forest guards to rescue the schoolchildren is in order, it should not be limited to Oyo State. There is hardly any part of the country that is free from the menace of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements. Every part of the country deserves to be protected. The kidnapped schoolchildren in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State should be rescued as well. The abducted seven students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State should be freed. Zamfara State had between June 2025 and May 2026 recorded the abduction of not less than 270 people.

Kwara State has experienced many abduction episodes in recent times. In one of the incidents, eight worshippers were abducted during an attack on ECWA Church in Omugo, Oro Ago District of Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State. Unfortunately, five of them reportedly died in captivity.

The growing climate of insecurity in the country is disturbing and clearly beyond what a particular agency can be saddled with. The security arrangement needs to be recalibrated. More boots are needed on ground. The changing tactics of the criminals demand that security agents be proactive and decisive in dealing with the bandits. There is need for enhanced intelligence sharing among the security agencies. The Nigerian situation demands that politicians must close ranks to tackle the rising insecurity.

It is high time the government devoted more attention to governance as against the current undue emphasis on politics. There is need for government to show empathy to the people at moments like this. The primary function of the government remains the security and the welfare of the people. The Oyo, Borno and other kidnap incidents across the country underscore the need to overhaul the security architecture for more effectiveness. The government should rescue the abducted schoolchildren and teachers without further delay. In order to win the war against terror, the government must acquire more drones and other sophisticated military equipment.