The Senate has strongly condemned the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren, teachers and a toddler in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, describing the incident as a brutal attack on the nation’s future and demanding the immediate rescue of all victims still in captivity.
The upper chamber also called on the Federal Government to strengthen the Safe Schools Initiative through improved surveillance, intelligence gathering and enhanced security deployment around vulnerable schools and communities nationwide.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC, Oyo North), who drew attention to the May 15 attack on Ahoro-Esiele and neighbouring communities in Oriire Local Government Area.
According to the lawmaker, armed kidnappers abducted 49 people, including schoolchildren, teachers and a toddler, during the assault. Three persons were reportedly killed, while a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was allegedly beheaded while in captivity.
Presenting the motion before the Senate, Buhari lamented that the victims were taken from an environment meant to represent safety, learning and hope.
“The victims were abducted from a learning environment which ought to symbolise safety, hope and the future of our nation,” he said.
The senator described the killing of the teacher as a barbaric act that has heightened fear and anxiety across Oyo State and the country.
Following deliberations, lawmakers unanimously condemned the attack, sympathised with affected families and the Oyo State Government, and urged security agencies to deploy all available resources to secure the release of those still being held.
The Senate also acknowledged a recent visit to the affected community by a Federal Government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, alongside the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence and Inspector-General of Police.
During the debate, Senator Adams Oshiomhole called for a comprehensive audit of security spending, arguing that insecurity continues despite substantial budgetary allocations to security agencies.
He urged the National Assembly to intensify oversight by inviting service chiefs to account for the utilisation of funds approved for security operations.
Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) advocated greater participation by state governments in funding security efforts and stressed the need to address the growing number of ungoverned spaces across the country.
Speaking with journalists after plenary, Buhari appealed to Nigerians not to politicise the tragedy, noting that security agencies were taking a cautious approach because many of the victims are children.
He revealed that 46 children and four teachers were involved in the incident, adding that another teacher was killed while attempting to escape and a commercial motorcyclist was mistakenly shot during the attack.
The lawmaker said entire communities remain traumatised, with many residents fleeing their homes after the incident. He further disclosed that the abducted children were reportedly tied together and forced to trek in groups, with videos later released by their captors.
Defending the strategy adopted by security agencies, Buhari warned that a direct assault could place the lives of the children at greater risk.
“People ask why the authorities do not simply launch an assault. But there are children as young as two, three and four years old among the victims. Every decision must take their safety into account,” he said.
As reactions continued nationwide, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar backed calls by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s security architecture.
Atiku urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to implement reforms aimed at strengthening intelligence gathering, improving inter-agency collaboration and enhancing operational effectiveness.
Similarly, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), appealed directly to the kidnappers to release the children and teachers, describing reports and images from the incident as heartbreaking.
“No grievance can justify the suffering of innocent children,” Obi said, urging the abductors to show humanity and release the victims.
Labour unions and education stakeholders also joined calls for urgent action. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) backed the ongoing strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), describing it as a necessary response to the growing insecurity facing teachers and students.
NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that organised labour could escalate actions if governments failed to guarantee the safety of citizens.
Teachers in Lagos and Benue states staged solidarity protests demanding the unconditional release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Southwest Zone, described the abduction as a direct attack on education and threatened peaceful demonstrations across the region if the victims were not released by June 10.
Meanwhile, the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, called for traditional rulers to be assigned constitutional roles within Nigeria’s security framework, arguing that monarchs possess valuable local knowledge that can aid intelligence gathering and crime prevention.
The monarch disclosed that Ogbomoso had already established a security committee comprising retired military and police officers to strengthen community safety.
Also weighing in, the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, urged the Federal Government to identify and prosecute sponsors of terrorism and violent crimes, describing their actions as treasonable.
The security situation has also sparked protests in Ekiti State, where residents of Eda-Oniyo demanded the rescue of 16 worshippers abducted from a church over a month ago despite the payment of N10.5 million ransom.
In response to rising concerns, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, ordered round-the-clock patrols across all 18 local government areas, while the Ogun State Government assured residents that intelligence reports showed no imminent terrorist threat and cautioned against the spread of misinformation capable of causing panic.