Oyo abduction: Public schools grounded as teachers comply with strike directive

• Massive protests in Ibadan, Abeokuta

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

Ibadan, Oyo State capital, was grounded yesterday as residents staged a massive protest over the prolonged captivity of pupils and teachers abducted by terrorists in Oriire local government.

The protesters, who moved from Mokola Roundabout towards Agodi-Gate, were led by the state chapter of the Take-It-Back (TIB) movement, drawing participation from concerned parents, youths and students.

The protesters held placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘Bring Back Our Children’, ‘47 Abducted: Stand Up, Speak Up’, ‘Bring Back Our Children and Teachers’, ‘Every Life Matters: Stop the Kidnapping’, and ‘End Insecurity in Nigeria’. They also stormed the government’s secretariat in Ibadan.

Governor Seyi Makinde, on Sunday, appealed against staging a protest.

“Terrorists are on our doorstep. This is not the time for protest. Terrorists and bandits are not normal people. So if we are protesting, we are fuelling their ego,” said Makinde. “So, let us pray that God will touch their hearts. We are doing everything possible to secure the release of the children.”

On May 15, armed men attacked Community Grammar School, L.A. Primary School, both in Ahoro-Esinele and Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, near Ogbomoso, where pupils and teachers were abducted and two persons killed.

A member of the TIB movement, Soneye AbdulAzeez, described the recent school abduction incident as an unfortunate development amid the inadequate delivery of democratic dividends in the country.

“There is no way there can be security in a country if more than 50 per cent of the population is unemployed. This is to say that people who are not employed, who do not have a source of income, will be easy to recruit into terrorist organisations,” Mr Soneye said. “The issue of insecurity is not just about arms and ammunition. It is also about economic security, social security, psychological security and social protection for the masses.”

“We are calling on President Tinubu and other governors to note that it is not enough to budget trillions of naira for security when the people you want to secure are dying daily of hunger. Definitely, they will be the ones to join terrorist organisations so that they can have a means of livelihood.”

One of the protesters, Esther Olowookere, who spoke with the journalists, decried the continued captivity of the victims and urged relevant authorities to prioritise the victims’ rescue over politics and campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections. “The government should do all that must be done to rescue the pupils. Our minds are not at rest outside, inside or over our children in school. They should give us peace of mind. Otherwise, we will not participate in the forthcoming elections.”

Meanwhile, teachers in public primary and secondary schools across Oyo State yesterday began an indefinite strike to protest the kidnap of teachers and pupils of three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.The strike recorded full compliance in public schools in Ibadan.

Some of the schools visited included Anglican Junior Secondary School, Orita-Mefa; St. Patrick Secondary School, Bashorun; St. Louis Grammar School, Mokola; Oba Akinbiyi Model School; and St. Brigid’s School, Mokola.

Many students who arrived at their schools as early as 7:45 a.m. were turned back and asked to return home. It was also observed that only candidates sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and teachers assigned to invigilation duties were allowed into school premises.

One of the teachers, Mrs. Yemisi Alao, said staff members in her school had been directed not to report for duty in compliance with the union’s directive.

“We are all complying in solidarity with the affected teachers, pupils and their families. We pray that the abducted victims will regain their freedom and return home safely,” she said.

Another teacher, Mrs Tayo Olutayo, said both students and teachers had been adequately informed ahead of the industrial action. “Only WAEC candidates and teachers involved in the examination process are expected to be in school,” she said.

Reports from other parts of the state including Oyo, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki, Eruwa and Igboora in Ibarapa indicate full compliance with the strike by teachers in public primary and secondary schools.

Meanwhile, scores of residents in Ogun state yesterday protested the rising insecurity in the country, particularly the abduction of 39 school children and seven teachers in Ogbomoso.

The protesters including youths, mothers, fathers among others, stormed major streets Abeokuta, the state capital, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “ The crime they committed is they went to school, release our children and teachers”, “ Stop brutality, kidnapping, banditry” , “ Stop insecurity, Nigeria is falling apart” , “Our future is crying for help!!! help!!! help!!!, “Let us believe in our country again”, “Bring back our school children”,  “End terrorism in Nigeria” among others.

Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators at the  Panseke Skating Ground in Abeokuta, Pastor  Juwon Owolabi, lamented that residents can no longer sleep well as they do not know what or who will be the next victim

Owolabi insisted that the country is at a tipping point where no one including the rich or poor is safe, asserting that even businesses cannot go on.

“This is a time where the parents and everyone are grieving. We cannot continue like this, we sleep with anxiety and panic and we trust that the government has the capacity and what it takes to end this insecurity now.

“We know that if it doesn’t end now, no one would be safe at the end. We stand with the parents, the families of those who are in the den of this terrorist.

“We are at a tipping point. We are at a point that if we don’t do anything about this insecurity, all of us would be victims of it. It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you are a civil servant, whether you are rich or poor, you are not safe.

“Nobody is safe. It’s time we all come out, there is power in our numbers. The government must know we are united.  Don’t wait till the 2027 election, you don’t even have a choice, the choices are made for you already, so this is the time for us to speak out peacefully,” he stated.

Owolabi begged the government to deploy all necessary mechanisms to ensure that the abducted children are released and the security of the affected communities is guaranteed.

Ada Comfort disclosed that although her children were not part of the victims, the country’s insecurity has also affected her business, stating that the least the government can do is to protect the lives and properties of its residents.

“For someone like me, I’m an entrepreneur and I travel to Iseyin and Ilorin. For  the past week I cannot travel, I can’t do anything. I have orders coming in but can’t work.

“I know that every mother whose children are in the captives of the bandits are not happy, my kids are not there but I can’t sleep, I daydream about those children and can’t imagine how terrible the mothers of those kids are feeling at the moment.  The least the government can do for us as citizens is to provide security, we are begging them.”

A nursing mother who was among the protesters, Precious Jonathan, disclosed that she joined because her children and others deserve a better Nigeria.

“My baby is one year and a month old. I’m out because of my child and my unborn children. I want a better Nigeria for all of us. The government should please remember us and  give us a better Nigeria,” she said.

The protesters have demanded that all schools should be shut until the insecurity challenges are well handled and the kidnapped children are released.

They equally urged the government to take strict actions to save the children in the captivity of the bandits.

In Osun State, NUT has urged the state government to deploy more security personnel to schools in remote communities bordering neighbouring states.

Chairman of the union, Mr Babalola Babatunde, who made the appeal in Osogbo, said deployment of additional security personnel to schools in remote areas had become imperative to prevent attacks and kidnappings by bandits.

He said he had discussed the matter with the Commissioner for Education and that a meeting had been scheduled for Monday.

“The governor and his executive council have been proactive and committed to the development of education in the state.

“I have requested that more security personnel, including operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), be deployed to schools in border communities.

“Schools located near forests and border communities are often far from urban centres, making them vulnerable targets for bandits and kidnappers. Being a teacher should not be a crime,” he said.

Babatunde also said the national leadership of the NUT had directed all state chapters of the union to embark on solidarity rallies on Tuesday to demand the unconditional release of teachers and learners kidnapped in Oyo and other states.

Following the kidnapping of some students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Gov. Ademola Adeleke ordered the immediate revitalisation of the Safe School Initiative in Osun.

Adeleke said the revitalisation of the initiative was a proactive measure aimed at preventing any spillover effects of the incident in Oyo State into Osun.

The governor also directed intensified intelligence gathering in rural and border communities.

He further announced stronger collaboration between the Amotekun Corps and community peace organisations, as well as a security review meeting involving the Commissioner for Education and the State Security Adviser.