Oyo Youths Protest Insecurity as Teachers Begin Strike
Massive youth, student, and civil society protests erupted across Oyo State today to demand the immediate rescue of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area. The...
Massive youth, student, and civil society protests erupted across Oyo State today to demand the immediate rescue of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area. The demonstrations coincided with an indefinite strike action ordered by the Oyo State branch of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT). Protesters paralysed parts of major cities, including Ibadan and Ogbomoso, expressing severe grievances over worsening insecurity and the rising cost of living.
The protesters urged the government to act swiftly and secure the release of the abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Ogbomosho. Teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Oyo State commenced an indefinite strike on Monday. The industrial action was declared by the national leadership of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).
The indefinite strike is a direct protest against the continued captivity of seven teachers and 39 school pupils who were abducted by bandits on May 15, 2026. The victims were taken from three schools (including LA School and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele) in the Oriire Local Government Area of Ogbomoso. The NUT has stated that school activities will remain suspended until all abducted individuals are safely and unconditionally released.
The protest by the youth began around the Mokola roundabout before moving towards the main gate of the University College Hospital (UCH). Residents of the state, including members of the Take-It-Back Movement, teachers, and schoolchildren, carried banners and placards with inscriptions such as ‘#BringBackOurChildren’, ‘#47Abducted’, and ‘# SpeakUp ‘, ‘Their lives matter’, ‘government must act’, among others.
The protesters urged both the state and federal governments to make roads and communities safer, protect farmers, traders, and students, and strengthen security and justice across Oyo State, warning that worsening insecurity is making the state increasingly unsafe for residents.
The protest came as a response to the recent attacks by some gunmen who invaded the Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire district in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, targeting a secondary school and two primary schools and abducting 39 students and seven teachers in an attack targeting several schools, including the principal, Mrs Alamu Folawe.
During the attack, an assistant headmaster and a motorcyclist were killed. Days later, kidnappers beheaded one of the abducted teachers, Mr Michael Oyedokun, despite the circulation of a video showing him alive. The killing triggered nationwide outrage and renewed calls for swift government action.
Subsequently, another video posted online has shown Mrs Rachel Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele, who is one of the abductees, saying the kidnappers had threatened to kill another victim, urging authorities to urgently negotiate their release.
Two weeks after the incident, residents who took to the streets condemned the government’s failure to secure the release of the abducted students and teachers, vowing to sustain their protests and make their grievances heard.
The protesters proceeded to the Governor’s Office at the Agodi Secretariat, despite the heavy downpour, but were initially prevented from gaining access into the Secretariat. However, the angry protesters overran security, forced open the main gates, and gained access into the Oyo State Secretariat at Agodi, Ibadan.
The protesters faced resistance while trying to reach the Governor’s Office, throwing stones and pieces of wood at security personnel on duty. The situation was later brought under control after reinforcement teams from the police and the state security outfit, Operation Burst, arrived.
One of the protesters, Femi Adeyeye, said rising insecurity in Oyo State is making life increasingly unsafe for residents and that the demonstration was intended to draw the government’s attention to the worsening situation.
“This is not drama or a show. It is the reality confronting all of us, and we can no longer remain silent. People used to say home was the safest place, but Nigeria has gone beyond that. These incidents have continued for too long without adequate government attention. Today, people can be killed even in their homes, and that is the reality we face. We are demanding the urgent rescue of the abducted children,” he said.
Another protester, Ayodeni Aluko, who described herself as a concerned parent, said the government must act urgently because the crisis is affecting children from low-income families the most. “This is hurting the children of ordinary Nigerians, including those of pepper sellers and fish sellers. These are children whose parents cannot afford private schools or education abroad. We are pleading with President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to come to our aid. For weeks, our innocent children have remained in the forest, suffering in the hands of these wicked people,” she said.
Kayode Babayomi, another protester, condemned the failure of the state and federal government to handle the security of the state poorly, stating that their lack of action has put the school system at risk “Both the Oyo and federal governments have failed to protect the citizens. That’s why we are out here to register our displeasure,” he said. “We are demanding effective security and strict monitoring of schools across the state. The situation is getting worse day by day.”
A protester, Esther Olowookere, urged the government to focus on making security a priority over politics and campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections. “The government should do all that must be done to rescue the pupils. Our minds are not at rest outside, inside or over our children in school. They should give us peace of mind. Otherwise, we will not participate in the forthcoming elections.”
A member of the Take It Back movement, Soneye AbdulAzeez, blamed rising insecurity on widespread unemployment and the government’s poor response, arguing that large security budgets mean little without real action. “There can be no security in a country where more than 50 per cent of the population is unemployed. People without jobs or a source of income are more vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist groups. Insecurity is not only about arms and ammunition; it also involves economic, social, and psychological security, as well as social protection for the masses.”
He added, “We are calling on President Tinubu and other governors to note that it is not enough to budget trillions of naira for security when the people you want to secure are dying daily of hunger. Definitely, they will be the ones to join terrorist organisations so that they can have a means of livelihood.”
On Sunday, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) directed all public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State to withdraw their services from schools beginning Monday, June 1, 2026, until further notice due to the continued captivity of abducted teachers and pupils, whose rescue and safe release, according to the Union, “remain uncertain”.
It argued that the prolonged detention of the victims has created fear and anxiety among teachers, discouraged parents from sending their children to school, and heightened tension across communities in the state.
The NUT has warned that the strike action will go nationwide if immediate and meaningful progress is not made by the government. Nationwide solidarity rallies have been ordered across all state chapters to push for safe learning environments.
Shortly after the announcement from the teachers’ national body, President Bola Tinubu directed the deployment of a “specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities” to intensify efforts to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Ogbomoso, Oriire LGA of Oyo State.
A statement issued on Sunday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, confirmed the directive, stating that recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in collaboration with the state government to intensify the search and rescue efforts.
This was announced after the federal government delegation, led by Femi Gbajabiamila, Tinubu’s Chief of Staff (CoS), and Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), and the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had visited Esiele and Yawota, communities in the LGA, on Sunday, and disclosed the president’s directives to the residents.
Also among the delegation were the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu; Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; and Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications.
Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, who addressed the community leaders and the residents, consoled the affected people and community, stating that “Mr President is deeply troubled by this incident. Whatever it takes, our children and teachers will be brought back home safely,” he said.
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