Segun Atanda/
Fresh fears have emerged over the fate of abducted teachers and schoolchildren in Oyo State after the principal of Community Grammar School, Esinele, Folawe Alamu, revealed that kidnappers were threatening to execute one of the captives following an attempted rescue operation by security forces.
In an emotional video released on Friday, the visibly distressed principal appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to prioritise negotiation over force in efforts to secure the release of the victims.
The video, shared on Instagram by social media influencer, Temilola Sobola, showed Mrs Alamu speaking from captivity after nearly two weeks in the bush alongside dozens of abducted pupils and fellow teachers.
“We are in the cold, we are under the sun, we are under the rain, the children and the adults as well,” she said emotionally.
“Please, we are begging you, don’t let them waste our lives.”
The principal disclosed that conditions in captivity had worsened after security operatives reportedly attempted a forceful rescue operation.
According to her, the kidnappers became enraged after the operation and selected one of the captives for execution in retaliation.
“The force they used yesterday has cost us so much. It has added to our problems,” she said.
“In fact, someone among us has been picked, and they are going to kill him because the government tried to rescue us by force.”
Alamu pleaded with authorities to pursue dialogue instead of armed confrontation, insisting that the captives feared further military operations could trigger mass killings.
“We don’t need force. All they have to do is negotiate with them and secure our release,” she added.
She also appealed to the Nigeria Union of Teachers and the Christian Association of Nigeria to intervene urgently on behalf of the victims.
The latest development has deepened anxiety across Oyo State, where anger and frustration spilled onto the streets of Ibadan on Friday as teachers and civil society organisations staged protests demanding urgent government action.
The demonstration, led by the Oyo State Teachers Action Group and the Nigeria Teachers Congress, drew attention to worsening insecurity around schools and growing fears over the safety of the abducted children and teachers.
The victims were kidnapped on May 15 when armed men attacked Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and L.A. Primary School, Alawusa, all located in Oriire Local Government Area.
The attackers abducted seven teachers and 39 pupils during the coordinated assault, one of the most disturbing school abductions recorded in Oyo State in recent years.
Since then, families of the victims have lived in mounting fear as negotiations and rescue operations continue behind the scenes.
A mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, who was among those abducted, was reportedly beheaded by the gunmen while in captivity, intensifying public outrage over the incident.
Another teacher and a commercial motorcyclist were also killed during the attack, while a security operative later died after encountering improvised explosive devices allegedly planted by the abductors during early rescue efforts.
Speaking during Friday’s protest in Ibadan, National President of the Nigeria Teachers Congress, Reverend Bunmi Thomas, said teachers were deeply traumatised by reports that very young children remained exposed to severe weather conditions in the bush.
“Some of the children are just two or three years old,” he said.
“They are exposed to rain and harsh weather in the bush. This situation is painful and dangerous.”
Thomas stressed that the protest was peaceful and aimed solely at drawing greater attention to the plight of the victims and the urgency of securing their safe return.
“We decided to stand with the teachers because their demand is legitimate. They want the government to take stronger steps towards rescuing those kidnapped,” he stated.
While acknowledging ongoing efforts by security agencies, he argued that authorities needed to intensify intervention measures.
“If current efforts have not produced results, then more pressure and action are required,” he added.
The teachers’ union also called for stronger security presence around public schools across Oyo State, warning that fear and uncertainty were beginning to affect learning environments.
“We cannot continue teaching under fear,” Thomas said.
Receiving the protesters on behalf of the governor, retired Commissioner of Police Sunday Odukoya, Executive Assistant on Security Matters to Governor Makinde, assured residents that the state government remained fully engaged in efforts to rescue the victims.
He said certain operational details could not be publicly disclosed because of security considerations but insisted the government was actively working with security agencies.
“The government understands your concerns and nobody is ignoring this matter,” Odukoya said.
“Governor Makinde has been fully involved since the incident occurred.”
Earlier, Makinde had also reassured residents during Eid-el-Kabir celebrations in Ibadan that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the abducted pupils and teachers.
At the national level, Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, announced the deployment of additional detectives from Force Headquarters in Abuja to support the joint rescue operation, while the Defence Headquarters disclosed that troops had already established contact with the abductors.
Sources familiar with ongoing negotiations said the kidnappers refused to communicate directly with the families of the victims and insisted on speaking only with representatives of the Oyo State Government.
The crisis has once again renewed concerns over the growing vulnerability of schools in parts of Nigeria, despite repeated government assurances following previous mass abductions across the country.
Click link to see video:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BNFvwjHeh
0Related posts:
Olivet Baptist High School: Celebrating 80 Years of Transforming Education in the Heart of Oyo Kingdom
How Nigerian Schoolboys Went After Teachers’ Lives, Los Angeles Times Reports
Internal Security Dynamics and the Imperative of a New Policing Thought in Nigeria
Ajimobi, Makinde and the Beauty of ‘Intellectual Prudence’
The Extinction of Male Teachers
FG Presents Buhari’s Scorecard