Reps Issue Urgent Order: Rescue Abducted Oyo Pupils, Teachers Alive as Nationwide Protests Spread
The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government and security agencies to ensure the safe rescue of students and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State.
Lawmakers insisted that all victims must be returned alive as security tensions continue to escalate across affected communities.
The appeal was made during plenary following a motion sponsored by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala amid growing public anger over repeated school abductions and worsening insecurity in parts of the South-West.
Lawmakers urged security forces to prioritise the rescue of pupils and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community Grammar School (Esiele), and L.A. Primary School.
They stressed that every delay increases the risk of more fatalities and deepens public fear.
One of the victims, Michael Oyedokun, a teacher abducted from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area, was reportedly killed in captivity by the abductors, further heightening public concern.
Lawmakers also recommended the establishment of a permanent military forward operating base in Oriire LGA, particularly around the Old Oyo National Park axis, to strengthen long-term security presence in the area.
They argued that the region must no longer serve as a safe corridor for armed groups, calling for sustained military deployment to disrupt criminal networks operating across border communities.
In addition, the House renewed its push for broader security reforms, including the creation of state police, local government policing units, decentralised courts, and an expanded national intelligence and surveillance system.
According to the lawmakers, the current security structure is no longer sufficient to respond to the scale of violent attacks, warning that continued delays in reform could worsen national instability.
Meanwhile, protests have spread across several states as the crisis gains national attention.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) staged rallies in multiple locations on Tuesday, joining earlier civil society demonstrations in Ibadan on Monday.
The protests were held in Oyo, Ogun, Kano, Plateau, Lagos, Edo, Rivers, Yobe and other states, with demonstrators demanding the immediate and safe return of the abducted pupils and teachers.
