Residents of Oyo state yesterday staged protests demanding the immediate release of dozens of pupils and teachers abducted by gunmen in Oriire local government area, as fresh details emerged that the kidnappers have refused to negotiate with victims’ families and are insisting on direct communication with government officials.
The demonstrations came amid an indefinite strike declared by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) across public primary and secondary schools in the state.
The union’s action followed the May 15 attack in the Ogbomoso axis, where heavily armed men raided three schools – Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele – abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers.
Among those kidnapped was Mrs. Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, whose husband, Professor Wole Alamu, of the Department of Forest Resources Management at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, revealed that the abductors had rejected all attempts by the family to engage them.
According to him, the kidnappers communicate only through WhatsApp messages, and have made it clear that they will only negotiate with the government. “The captors said they don’t want to talk to us. They only want to talk to the Government; and that is why we are helpless. Anytime they want to communicate, they send messages to me through WhatsApp”, he said.
Professor Alamu recounted that he received a distress call around 9:20 a.m. on the day of the attack, informing him that his wife had been kidnapped. He rushed to the school community and discovered the extent of the devastation. “I discovered that some teachers had been killed while many students and teachers were abducted. The Toyota Corolla she used for transportation was also burnt”, he said.
He disclosed that since the abduction on May 15, the family had not spoken directly with Mrs. Alamu, adding that the only evidence of her condition came through videos allegedly recorded under the supervision of her captors. “Since May 15, we have not heard from her, apart from the videos she was forced to produce by the captors”, he stated.
The Professor said the WhatsApp numbers used by the kidnappers had been handed over to security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), expressing confidence that investigations were ongoing.
Despite the ordeal, he commended the Oyo State government for supporting affected families and maintaining engagement over the crisis.
