The Oyo State House of Assembly on Wednesday rejected calls for the state government to negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during a coordinated attack at Ahoro-Esiele in the Oriire Local Government Area of the state on Friday, May 15, 2026. The parliament instead demanded intensified rescue operations to secure the immediate freedom of all victims trapped in captivity. This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Johnson Ogundele, during plenary shortly after the House resumed from its Eid-el-Kabir recess. The motion highlighted the growing wave of insecurity plaguing several parts of the Oriire Local Government Area.
While presenting the motion, Ogundele recounted the details of the May 15 attack on Ahoro-Esiele, Oyo, and Yawota communities, where bandits launched an assault during school hours, killing a teacher, a student, and a commercial motorcyclist, while abducting dozens of students, pupils, and teachers. The lawmaker expressed deep concern over the recurring attacks in the area. Ogundele noted, “Oriire had witnessed increasing bandit activities since January, including the attack on the National Park Service office at Oloka village, where five forest guards were killed.” He commended the executive leadership of the state, adding, “Let me use this period to call on Governor Seyi Makinde for his swift response, deployment of security operatives, rescue efforts and personal visit to the affected communities.” The lawmaker further proposed structural security adjustments, stating, “I want to equally urge the state government to intensify support for security agencies and establish a permanent military base within and around vulnerable communities and forest corridors in the area.”
Reacting to the security presentation, the Assembly requested the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology alongside the State Universal Basic Education Board to quickly carry out comprehensive security audits of schools situated near forests and border areas across the state. In its resolution, the legislature maintained that modern security infrastructure must be deployed to safeguard learning environments. The legislative document stated, “The Assembly also urges the government to expedite the installation of solar-powered security lights, perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools and to develop a comprehensive Safe School Emergency Response Protocol for public and private schools across Oyo.” The parliament firmly held its ground against ransom payments or dialogue with criminals, adding, “The Assembly equally rejects suggestions and calls that the State Government should negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attack at the community in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, on Friday, May 15, 2026.”
Seconding the motion, the Majority Leader of the House, Sanjo Adedoyin representing Ogbomoso South, renewed the call for the establishment of state police, urging the Federal Government to eliminate all legislative and administrative bottlenecks delaying its actualization. Adedoyin argued that recent rescue operations exposed the massive hurdles conventional security forces face when navigating dense forests, pointing out that operatives have had to depend heavily on local vigilantes and personnel of the state Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to penetrate difficult terrains. He maintained that the harsh security challenges confronting various states have fully justified the necessity for decentralised policing, pleading with the central government to fast-track the policy.
Contributing to the debate, Olubisi Oluranti representing Ogbomoso North, commended Governor Makinde and the security agencies for their responsiveness but emphasized that more personnel must be deployed to vulnerable communities to prevent future occurrences. In a similar vein, Gbenga Oyekola representing Atiba, attributed part of the security failures to the poor management of the expansive forest reserve owned and overseen by the Federal Government. Oyekola expressed worry that despite the vastness of the forest reserve stretching across Oyo State and neighboring boundaries, formal security presence inside the reserve remains critically inadequate. He further raised alarms that reports of mining activities in sections of the forest, including regular sightings of helicopters landing and taking off from the zone, have not been met with adequate security protocols to safeguard nearby residents and legitimate workers.
Furthermore, Babajide Gabriel representing Ibadan North II, advocated far-reaching structural adjustments to Nigeria’s overarching security architecture. He recalled the previous observations made by Governor Makinde regarding the legal limitations faced by state governors, who are constitutionally recognized as the chief security officers of their respective states but lack direct command authority over federal security agencies. Gabriel appealed to the governor to recruit more personnel into the Amotekun Corps to boost local combat operations, while strongly condemning attempts by certain individuals to politicize the security crisis for partisan advantages. He surged a collective approach, stating that insecurity is a national issue requiring unified action from all stakeholders.
The expanding threat of kidnappings was also highlighted by Dawood Olalere representing Ibadan North-West, who observed that the crime has evolved beyond forest boundaries into urban and semi-urban settings. He cited the reported abduction of the sister of the former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, alongside her two sons earlier on Wednesday as undeniable proof of the widening danger posed by syndicates. Olalere called for the immediate provision of superior equipment and sophisticated weaponry for Amotekun operatives, arguing that personnel armed with locally fabricated weapons cannot successfully confront heavily armed criminal gangs operating within remote locations and dense forests.
Following extensive deliberations, the House adopted multiple resolutions, including a formal appeal to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Defence to establish a permanent military base in the Oriire Local Government Area. The lawmakers also requested the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency to deliver trauma counseling, psychosocial support, and necessary relief materials to the affected families, while calling on traditional rulers, community heads, and local government councils to strengthen intelligence-gathering and grass-roots policing networks. The Assembly subsequently directed its Committee on Security and Strategy to carry out an oversight visit to Oriire to analyze the situation on the ground, engage relevant stakeholders, and recommend urgent legislative interventions.
In his concluding remarks, the Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, firmly “dismissed calls for the state government to negotiate with terrorists and kidnappers,” warning that “such a move could embolden criminal elements and encourage further attacks.” While expressing empathy over the immense frustration, anxiety, and impatience endured by families whose loved ones are still held in captivity, the Speaker implored residents to sustain their cooperation with security forces and the state government in the ongoing rescue operations. Ogundoyin maintained that entering into negotiations with terrorists would send a highly counterproductive signal and potentially strengthen criminal syndicates across the state, insisting that the primary focus must remain on sustained tactical operations, intelligence gathering, and well-coordinated rescue missions to secure the safe return of all victims.
0 Comments