Protest Rocks Ibadan Over Kidnapped Teachers, Schoolchildren
IBADAN, NIGERIA — A major protest erupted in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday, May 29, 2026, as hundreds of teachers, civil society groups, and distraught family members took to the streets to demand immediate government action following the abduction of several teachers and schoolchildren.
The demonstration, organized by the Oyo State Teachers Action Group in collaboration with the Nigeria Teachers Congress (NTC), severely disrupted traffic along major arteries in the state capital. Protesters waved placards with inscriptions demanding safety for educators and the safe return of the captives, warning that the security of schools across the state could no longer be treated lightly.
Background of the Crisis
The crisis began on May 15, 2026, when heavily armed men on motorcycles launched a coordinated, multi-target assault on three separate educational institutions in the Esiele, Ahoro-Esinele, and Yawota communities of Ogbomoso, within the Oriire Local Government Area.
The targeted schools included:
Community Grammar School (Ahoro-Esinele)
First Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota)
L.A. Primary School (Esiele)
The bandits fired sporadically during morning assemblies and classes, forcing victims into the dense forest reserves surrounding the Old Oyo National Park. While initial community reports estimated that up to 46 individuals were dragged into the forest, official reports confirmed the abduction of at least seven teachers and dozens of pupils.
The security situation turned even more grim following confirmed reports that one of the abducted educators, Michael Oyedokun, was brutally killed while in captivity.
Protesters Demand "Pragmatic Action"
Addressing the gathered crowd in Ibadan, the National President of the NTC, Reverend Bunmi Thomas, stated that the union was standing in absolute solidarity with the traumatized families. He expressed severe concern for the well-being of the hostages, pointing out the absolute vulnerability of the youngest victims.
"We have children as young as two and three years old in the bush. They are exposed to rain and harsh weather conditions. These victims are in grave danger, and nobody knows who could be next," Thomas lamented.
The union leadership put forward two central demands:
Intensified Rescue Operations: A call for the military and police to scale up extraction operations within the Old Oyo National Park forest axes.
Permanent School Security: The deployment of dedicated security personnel to all public schools across Oyo State so educators and children are not forced to learn under constant fear.
Union leaders clarified that the peaceful demonstration was not an attack on Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration—whom they commended for general performance—but rather a desperate appeal to the state's moral conscience for transparency and speed.
Government and Security Response
Responding to the massive protest, the Executive Assistant to Governor Makinde on Security Matters, retired Commissioner of Police Sunday Odukoya, arrived to de-escalate the situation and assure the public of ongoing state actions.
Odukoya promised the crowd that Governor Makinde is heavily committed to the rule of law and that no peaceful demonstrator would face harassment or victimization. He noted that he has personally visited the local communities in Oriire several times to coordinate security measures.
According to state authorities, the attack is believed to be carried out by armed groups fleeing intense federal military crackdowns in Nigeria’s North-West region. So far, security agencies have arrested six suspected local informants and detained three other persons of interest linked to the raid.
As a precautionary safety measure, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board has ordered the temporary closure of all primary schools across the Oriire, Surulere, Oyo East, and Olorunsogo Local Government Areas while joint security forces comb the border forests.
