Oyo Abduction: Makinde Vows Safe Return of Oriire Community Victims

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has assured residents that his government would “push itself to the limit” to ensure the safe rescue of teachers and students abducted by unknown gunmen in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.

He also confirmed that some members of the joint security operation on the rescue mission have been wounded by the detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the gunmen around the Old Oyo National Park where the victims were being reportedly held captive.

Makinde, who looked visibly unhappy with the development, vowed to deploy every available resources to ensure the safe return of the teachers and students being held by their abductors, and to safely reunite them with their families.

The assurance came amid growing anxiety over the attack, which has once again thrown the spotlight on the troubling security concerns in the country, particularly in rural areas.

Recall that gunmen had on Friday, May 15, invaded Oriire local government, and abducted school students and staffs of Yawota and Esiele in one of the most disturbing attack by unknown gunmen.

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, alongside other top security chiefs have visited the area following the attack.

The attack has however left several several security including an Amotekun and Nigerian Army, wounded via Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by the assailants during a rescue operation but the governor also confirmed that the injured personnel are currently receiving medical attention.

Addressing journalists on Sunday, May 17 during a press briefing, Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde alongside other security chiefs in the state, disclosed that seven teachers were among those abducted during the invasion, while confirming that one of the teachers, reportedly a Mathematics teacher, had also been injured by the abductors.

The governor described the development as painful and heartbreaking, noting that efforts were already in top gear through both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to secure the release of the victims and restore calm to the affected communities.

The governor appealed to families of the abducted victims to remain calm, assuring them that security agencies and the government were working tirelessly to address the situation, and would leave no stone unturned to secure their rescue.

“First, let me appeal to the families involved that their government is working around the clock to ensure that we tackle the challenges and support our troops and service commanders.

“What we know right now is that seven teachers were abducted. Unfortunately, we got a video this morning showing that one of the teachers, believed to be the Mathematics teacher, was seriously injured by the terrorists,” Makinde said.

The governor further revealed that beyond deploying security forces, prominent leaders, elders, and religious stakeholders had also become involved in ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis.

According to the briefing, the Baptist Convention had joined intervention efforts because one of the affected schools belonged to the denomination.

“There have been interventions from leaders, elders, and religious leaders, especially the Baptist Convention because one of the affected schools is a Baptist school,” the governor added.

He equally appealed to residents, particularly those in the affected local government and surrounding communities, to cooperate with security agencies and avoid actions capable of frustrating rescue operations.

“We are not taking this lightly. I want to appeal to citizens and residents that we do everything within our power to ensure this matter is resolved quickly and that we bring our children back safely.

“But it is a very difficult and challenging situation. There may not be quick fixes, but we will continue to push ourselves to the limits to resolve this quickly,” the government assured.

He also announced plans to keep the public abreast of progress surrounding the rescue efforts via regular media briefings.

Meanwhile, details emerged during the briefing that operatives of the Amotekun Corps, police, military personnel, and other security outfits had already launched coordinated operations against the terrorists shortly after the incident occurred.

However, some of the operatives reportedly encountered improvised explosive devices during the operation, leaving several Amotekun personnel injured.

The governor further disclosed that preliminary investigations had uncovered possible collaboration between the terrorists and some individuals within the affected communities.

According to security reports presented during the briefing, six suspects had already been arrested within the locality over alleged involvement in logistics and information sharing for the terrorists.

“Some of them are believed to be informants or people handling logistics for the terrorists,” the government said.

It added that three additional persons of interest had also been apprehended by another security outfit operating within the state, while intelligence gathering and investigations continued.

Authorities stressed that the fight against terrorism could not rely solely on military operations, insisting that sustained government presence in vulnerable communities remained critical.

“If all we do is conduct operations for one or two weeks and then leave, the terrorists will return. Communities become vulnerable once government presence disappears,” the briefing noted.

The government also acknowledged growing concerns over the security of schools, especially those located in remote areas.

Responding to questions on measures being taken to prevent future attacks, the governor said it would continue reviewing and strengthening the state’s security architecture around schools, public institutions, and other vulnerable locations.

Makinde also confirmed that he had earlier spoken with his Kwara state counterparts over the incident following inquiries bothering on the effectiveness of trans border cooperation among neighboring states in crime prevention and fighting, and that efforts are already being made to strengthen existing security architecture to prevent future occurrence.

“There are several school security initiatives already in place, but with widespread security challenges everywhere, we must continue retooling our architecture and identifying vulnerable points.

The administration further defended its decision to provide regular public briefings despite fears that such updates could expose sensitive operational details.

According to him, the public deserved to know the steps being taken by government, while care would be taken not to reveal tactical or operational strategies capable of compromising rescue efforts.

“These are children who went to school with no expectation of being abducted and kept in a hostile environment. The people have the right to know what we are doing, but we will avoid revealing operational details,” the government stated.

On the actual number of students abducted, governor Makinde admitted that no precise figure was available yet because parents and guardians had immediately evacuated many students from the area following the attack.

The governor explained that a comprehensive verification exercise via the records of the affected schools would be carried out once schools reopened and attendance registers were properly reviewed.