It has been nearly three weeks since kidnappers stormed schools in two Nigerian states on the same day, dragging children and their teachers into captivity.
Recall that on 15 May, 39 school children and seven teachers were kidnapped at the Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
On the same day, over 40 pupils and students were abducted from Mussa Primary and Secondary Schools in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
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One of the teachers was reportedly killed after a video showed how he was slaughtered by a group of bandits.
This has led to fresh concerns from parents towards the security system in Nigeria, raising the question of whether President Bola Tinubu’s administration is capable and what his administration is doing to bring the victims home.
Despite the call for help from parents and protesters, none of the victims from either state has been confirmed rescued.
What has the government done?
In Oyo State, the federal government responded with deployment of rescue operatives. President Bola Tinubu, on Children’s Day, ordered school protection in high-risk areas and directed intensified, coordinated rescue efforts for the abducted children.
He also sent a high-level delegation to affected communities in Oyo that included the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police and the Minister of Defence.
In addition to the 1,000 forest guards already approved by President Tinubu, the House of Representatives noted that a permanent military forward operating base should be established in the Oriire Local Government Area.
The Defence Headquarters also affirmed that troops had made contact with the abductors and were working to ensure the rescue of the kidnapped students and teachers.
However, the Inspector-General of Police also announced the deployment of additional detectives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to collaborate with the joint security team on the ground.
As part of the government’s response, the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike assured protesters in Abuja that rescue efforts are ongoing to secure the safe return of the victims.
Wike said, “We are all concerned about this security situation. The government is on its toes to ensure that those kidnapped are rescued. I have that confidence that the security system will do all it can to make sure the teachers and the students that are being kidnapped are rescued, and let it be prompt.”
What an Oyo resident revealed
An Oyo resident, Oladeji Richard, told the New Daily Prime on Wednesday that there has been an effort to rescue the victims, confirming the government’s response to the abduction.
“Yes, the government has responded by deploying a special rescue team . . . the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards to support the search,” he said.
However, he revealed in his statement that these efforts have not yielded any results, as no victims have yet been rescued.
“Authorities say efforts are ongoing, although the abducted victims have not yet been released,” he said.
When asked if he believes the rescue efforts by the government will yield any results despite the fact that the victims have been in captivity for nearly three weeks, Richard said:
“Yes, I trust the government.”
What steps have been taken in response to the Borno abduction?
The government’s response to the Borno abduction, however, showed a different story. Sources revealed that parents of the abducted Borno children accused the Federal Government of neglect, alleging that authorities showed far greater urgency in responding to the Oyo abduction than to theirs.
Besides, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana reportedly called on President Tinubu to send a high-powered delegation to Borno as well, noting that not fewer than 415 abducted schoolchildren and other citizens remained in the illegal custody of bandits and terrorists across Borno State’s forests.
The Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State also alleged that there had been little federal intervention since the abduction and further noted that hundreds of women and children abducted from Ngoshe in recent months were yet to be rescued.
One of the most telling measures of government response is believed to have come from the Federal Ministry of Education. The ministry condemned the abductions nearly two weeks after the incidents occurred, with its statement dated 27 May, 2026, and released on 28 May.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the attacks as tragic and unacceptable, saying attacks on schools are attacks on Nigeria’s future, and assured that the federal government was working with security agencies to ensure the safe return of all abducted children.
The ministry urged Nigerians to remain calm, avoid misinformation and support ongoing rescue efforts but offered no timeline or concrete update on the victims.
The situation has caused national unrest even as officials issued assurances. Reports said that suspected kidnappers behind the Oyo abductions have opened communication with the state government, refusing to speak directly with families and insisting on negotiating only with the governor.
In Borno, reports did not indicate that there has been open communication from the perpetrators of the Borno abduction. It was a different case in Oyo, as two videos surfaced days after the incident, showing the abducted school principal and a nursing mother pleading for rescue.
In response to the Borno attack, the state government temporarily closed and relocated Government Day Secondary School, Mussa, to Government Secondary School, Uba, as part of immediate safety measures under the Safe Schools Initiative.
The President of the Borno South Youth Alliance accused the government of doing nothing tangible since the incident and questioned why ransom or other options had not been explored if the military could not secure a rescue.
Amid all of these, the NUT warned that the union may soon withdraw services nationwide if urgent action is not taken. Also, the House of Representatives has called on the federal government and security agencies to bring the abducted students and teachers home alive.
The Borno and Oyo abductions are not the first. The pattern began with the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014.
Reports revealed that since 2014, over a decade ago, more than 2000 Nigerian schoolchildren have been kidnapped since the inception of Boko Haram, with more than 50 children kidnapped in North-east from different schools.
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