The abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has sparked widespread outrage across the country, prompting condemnation from the Senate, coordinated nationwide protests by teachers, and renewed calls by lawmakers for comprehensive reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture.
The protest took place in the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, Anambra, A’Ibom, Abia, Osun, Lagos, Niger and several other states.
The nationwide reaction comes as the Senate resumed plenary on Tuesday after the Sallah recess and observed a one-minute silence in honour of two teachers and a pupil killed in connection with the attack.
The incident, which occurred on May 15, saw armed men storm three schools in Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area, abducting pupils and teachers and plunging families into weeks of anguish.
The attack has become one of the most significant school abductions in recent years, reviving painful memories of the Chibok and Dapchi kidnappings and raising fresh concerns about the safety of schools across the country.
Addressing senators during plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the incident as an attack on Nigeria’s collective humanity.
“We resume our work under the mournful shadow of a tragedy that has shaken our nation. The abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State is not merely an attack on innocent citizens; it is an assault on our collective humanity,” he said.
According to him, the tragedy strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s future because children and teachers represent the foundation upon which the nation’s progress rests.
“We mourn because if we cannot protect our children, we imperil our future. We mourn because a nation that cannot guarantee the safety of its teachers weakens the very foundations upon which education rests. And we mourn because, for as long as those children remain in captivity, our nation remains captive with them.”
Akpabio paid tribute to Michael Oyedokun, who reportedly died while in captivity, and Adesiyan Adegboye, who lost his life during the attack.
He also mourned a pupil killed in the incident.
“Today, we grieve the loss of two dedicated educators: Michael Oyedokun, who died in captivity, and Adesiyan Adegboye, who lost his life during the attack. We also mourn the child whose life was cut short before its promise could be fulfilled.
“We share the pain of the bereaved families. Their loss is our loss. Their sorrow is our sorrow. Their pain is our pain,” he said.
The Senate President, however, expressed optimism that ongoing efforts by security agencies would secure the release of those still being held.
“Yet even in the midst of grief, we remain hopeful that, through the determined efforts of the government and our security agencies, those still in captivity will be safely rescued and reunited with their loved ones,” he added.
Akpabio also cautioned politicians against exploiting the tragedy for partisan advantage.
“At moments such as these, there is a temptation to divide, accuse, and seek advantage from tragedy. Politicians and aspirants must resist that temptation for such cheap publicity.
“Those who kidnap our children, terrorise communities, and murder innocent citizens do not distinguish between party, faith, or ethnicity. Their assault is directed against Nigeria itself,” he said.
The attack occurred amid growing concerns over insecurity in schools and educational institutions across the country.
Between May 13 and May 15, at least 82 pupils were abducted in separate attacks in Oyo and Borno states.
In Borno State, 42 pupils were kidnapped after armed groups attacked schools in Askira Uba and Chibok Local Government Areas. In Oyo State, another 40 pupils were abducted during coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School, Esiele.
The Oyo attack also claimed the lives of mathematics teacher Oyedokun, a motorcyclist and a security operative during rescue efforts.
The incidents prompted the Nigeria Union of Teachers to direct members across the country to embark on solidarity rallies demanding stronger protection for schools and the immediate release of abducted teachers and pupils.
Reps push framework
In Abuja, the House of Representatives called on the Federal Government and security agencies to immediately secure the release of 42 schoolchildren abducted from Mussa Ward in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
The lawmakers also demanded the urgent implementation of a comprehensive national Safe Schools Security Framework to protect educational institutions nationwide.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Midala Balami, representing Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency.
Balami warned that repeated attacks on schools were eroding public confidence and worsening educational access in vulnerable communities.
“The House is concerned that the recurring attacks on schools and communities continue to threaten access to education, endanger lives, traumatise families, disrupt livelihoods, and undermine public confidence in the capacity of government to guarantee security,” he said.
The lawmakers stressed that the protection of pupils and teachers remained a core responsibility of government, urging stronger intelligence, rapid-response deployment, and community-based security mechanisms.
Adopting the motion, the House mandated its committees on National Security, Defence, Basic Education and Legislative Compliance to engage security agencies and report back on rescue efforts.
“The safety of our children and the protection of education must remain a national priority. Our children deserve to learn in an environment free from fear, and our citizens deserve the assurance that government will act decisively to protect lives and property. The time for action is now,” Balami said.
The demand for state police also echoed in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers urged the Federal Government to urgently decentralise policing.
Leading the debate on a motion of urgent public importance, the member representing Ogbomosho North/Ogbomosho South/Orire Federal Constituency, Ayodeji Alao-Akala, lamented the continued attacks on communities around Ogbomoso and Oriire.
“The House notes with a heavy and grieving heart the unrelenting siege upon the people of Ogbomoso and Orire Local Government Areas of Oyo State,” he said.
Alao-Akala described the killing of Oyedokun as a barbaric act that demanded decisive action.
“The House is deeply disturbed by the barbaric execution of Mr Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher, who was beheaded in captivity by his abductors, a savage act that has shocked the conscience of our nation and demands an immediate and decisive response from every arm of government.”
He warned that forests around the Old Oyo National Park had become safe havens for criminal groups.
“We are alarmed that the Old Oyo National Park and its surrounding forests are a vast, ungoverned wilderness straddling the border with Kwara State and opening onto international routes—a hidden highway through which these killers move freely.”
Wike assures teachers
In Abuja, teachers converged at the Federal Capital Territory Administration Secretariat, demanding urgent government intervention.
Addressing the protesters, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, assured them that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of victims.
“We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those who are kidnapped are rescued,” he said.
The minister maintained that security agencies had the capacity to secure the victims’ freedom.
“I have that confidence that the security system will do all they can to make sure the teachers and the students who are being kidnapped are rescued, and let it be prompt.”
Wike also cautioned against politicising insecurity.
“We are all concerned, but let us not politicise issues. That is what I will not support. We are all concerned about the security situation and how the teachers and students should be released.
“There is no government that will deliberately say let citizens be kidnapped, but we know where we find ourselves, and we know that everything possible is being done.”
He urged Nigerians to treat insecurity as a collective challenge.
“What concerns you concerns everybody, and what concerns Abuja also concerns everybody. We are all looking at how people should rise with the same dedication.”
Teachers storm Alausa
As the protests spread nationwide, teachers in Lagos marched to the State House of Assembly, where Speaker Mudashiru Obasa renewed calls for state policing.
“We are all concerned about the situation, particularly the one that happened in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. Here at the Lagos State House of Assembly, we have been doing our best to ensure security. That is why this House, several times, has been at the forefront of state police,” he said.
Obasa also criticised content creators accused of exploiting tragedies for online engagement.
“You cannot make a profit out of some people’s misfortune. What we should be doing is looking for lasting solutions and rescuing the teachers and pupils.”
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