Oyo, Ogun Residents Protest as Pressure Mounts Over Abducted Teachers, Students

Public schools across Oyo State were shut on Monday as teachers embarked on a peaceful protest demanding the immediate release of teachers and students abducted by gunmen in Oriire Local Government Area.

The action followed a directive from the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which called on members to demonstrate solidarity with the victims and draw attention to growing insecurity around schools.

Across several parts of Ibadan, including Molete, Orita Challenge, New Garage and Odo Ona, school premises remained locked while students who reported for classes were asked to return home. However, final-year secondary school students sitting for examinations were allowed access to their schools.

Teachers said the protest was intended to highlight the plight of the abducted victims, who have remained in captivity for more than two weeks.

One teacher, who spoke anonymously, said the prolonged ordeal faced by the victims had become a source of concern for educators across the state.

“We cannot imagine the fear and trauma these children and their teachers are going through. We are appealing to both the federal and state governments to do everything possible to secure their freedom,” the teacher said.

The protest received support from civil society groups and community members who called for stronger protection of schools and improved security measures across vulnerable communities.

In neighbouring Ogun State, residents staged a separate demonstration in Abeokuta to express solidarity with the abducted victims and demand urgent action against rising insecurity.

The protesters, including youths, traders, nursing mothers and activists, carried placards calling for the safe return of the schoolchildren and teachers while urging government authorities to tackle kidnapping and terrorism more aggressively.

Addressing the gathering, cleric Juwon Owolabi said the growing insecurity had left many Nigerians living in fear.

He noted that no category of citizen could confidently claim to be safe, stressing that authorities must move beyond promises and take decisive steps to protect lives and property.

Businesswoman Ada Comfort said the kidnapping had deeply affected many Nigerians, even those without direct ties to the victims.

According to her, the incident has heightened fears among parents and further eroded public confidence in security arrangements.

Another protester, Precious Jonathan, who attended the rally with her infant child, said she joined the demonstration because every Nigerian child deserves a secure future.

Participants urged security agencies to intensify rescue efforts and strengthen security around schools to prevent further attacks on educational institutions.

Meanwhile, the National President of the NUT, Audu Titus Amba, disclosed that the union would expand the protest nationwide.

Amba expressed concern over the continued detention of teachers and students, saying the safety of schools must become a national priority.

He also condemned reports that abducted students were being used by terrorists to frustrate rescue operations, describing the development as disturbing and unacceptable.

“If schools are not safe, teaching and learning cannot thrive. Government must do more to protect our educational institutions and ensure that children can learn without fear,” he said.

Also reacting to the incident, The Muslim Congress (TMC) called on the federal government and security agencies to take urgent and sustained action against the worsening security crisis.

The organisation warned that repeated kidnappings and attacks on communities had become a troubling pattern that required comprehensive solutions rather than temporary interventions.

In Borno State, residents voiced concern over what they described as unequal attention given to separate cases of school abductions across the country.

Some community leaders and civil society representatives questioned why the federal government’s response to the kidnapping of students in Oyo appeared more visible than efforts surrounding the abduction of dozens of pupils in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

They called on authorities to ensure that all victims of abduction receive equal attention and that rescue operations are intensified regardless of location.

As anxiety continues to grow among affected families, labour groups, civil society organisations and community leaders have renewed calls for urgent action to secure the release of all abducted students and teachers and strengthen security around schools nationwide.

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