Senate Condemns Abduction Of Oyo School Teachers, Pupils, Demands Urgent Rescue Of 49 Victims

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Sola Shittu

The Senate on Wednesday condemned the abduction of 49 persons, including schoolchildren, teachers and a toddler, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, calling on the Federal Government and security agencies to deploy every available resource to secure their immediate release.

The upper chamber also urged security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue those still in captivity and called on the Federal Government to strengthen and expand the Safe Schools Initiative through enhanced surveillance, improved intelligence gathering and increased security presence around vulnerable schools and communities across the country.

The resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Buhari Abdulfatai during plenary.

Leading the debate, Abdulfatai drew the attention of lawmakers to the recent attack on Ahoro-Esiele and neighbouring communities in Oriire Local Government Area, where heavily armed kidnappers reportedly abducted 49 persons.
He disclosed that three people sustained gunshot wounds during the attack, while one victim was killed.

The senator expressed deep concern that the victims were taken from what should have been a safe learning environment, describing the incident as cruel, inhumane and a direct assault on the nation’s future.
According to him, the inclusion of a toddler among those abducted underscores the brutality of the perpetrators.

Abdulfatai further lamented the killing of Mr. Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher who was reportedly beheaded by the kidnappers.

He noted that the gruesome murder and the circulation of a recording of the act had heightened fear among residents of Oyo State and Nigerians at large.

“The development has generated widespread anxiety and public outrage while raising serious concerns about the safety of schools and rural communities across the country,” he said.

Warning of the implications of growing insecurity, Abdulfatai stated that “when schools become hunting grounds for criminals, the future of the nation itself is imperiled.”

He added: “These criminals and evil-minded people are now everywhere in our country; therefore, we should beef up security in the country to secure lives and properties of our citizens.”

The lawmaker, however, acknowledged the visit of a Federal Government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, alongside the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Defence and the Inspector-General of Police, to Oriire Local Government Area on May 31 to commiserate with the families of the victims.

During the debate, several senators called for greater accountability within the nation’s security architecture.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole urged President Bola Tinubu to conduct a comprehensive audit of the country’s security system, including a review of funds appropriated by the National Assembly and their utilisation by security agencies.

He also advocated a review of all security-related motions previously passed by the Senate and an assessment of their impact on the fight against insecurity.
Similarly, Senator Sani Musa called on the President to demand accountability from the nation’s service chiefs regarding security expenditures.

“Mr. President should, in his wisdom, call his service chiefs to account for all funds the National Assembly has appropriated to them. Not until we do this scrutiny, we will not be able to get it right,” he said.

Contributing to the debate, former Senate President Ahmad Lawan warned that the spread of insurgent activities beyond the North-East suggested that Boko Haram was gradually achieving its objective of infiltrating other parts of the country.

Adopting the motion, the Senate
condemned the abduction “in the strongest possible terms” and expressed sympathy to the affected families, the impacted communities and the Oyo State Government.

Lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence in honour of those killed during the attack and prayed for the repose of their souls.

End