President Bola Tinubu on Monday ordered a nationwide crackdown on kidnapping syndicates and their local collaborators after gunmen abducting teachers and pupils in Oyo State executed one of the victims in captivity, triggering outrage across the country and renewed fears over escalating attacks on schools.
The victim, identified as mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, was among teachers and pupils abducted during coordinated attacks on schools in Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State last Friday.
The killing came to public attention after a disturbing video allegedly released by the abductors surfaced online, reportedly showing the teacher tied up before he was executed.
Reacting to the development, Tinubu described the killing as “barbaric” and vowed that both the perpetrators and their collaborators would face justice.
The President directed the Inspector-General of Police to personally coordinate a technology-driven intelligence and rescue operation aimed at securing the release of the remaining captives and dismantling the criminal network behind the attack.
In a statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said: “I am saddened by the reported killing of one of the teachers kidnapped by the gunmen who invaded the community. I sympathise with Governor Seyi Makinde and the families of the kidnapped victims.”
He added: “The IGP, following my instructions, is personally leading the tech-driven operation. We expect a breakthrough soon. The bandits and all their local collaborators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.”
The President also renewed calls for the establishment of state police, warning that persistent kidnappings and attacks on vulnerable communities had exposed widening security gaps across the country.
“Cases of kidnapping further make imperative the establishment of state police to man some of our underserved areas. The National Assembly should accelerate the enactment of the law creating state police,” Tinubu stated.
The coordinated attacks were carried out at Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School and L.A. Primary School in the Oriire axis, where armed men reportedly stormed the communities and abducted teachers, pupils and school officials.
The latest killing has intensified nationwide concerns over growing attacks on schools, particularly in isolated rural communities with limited security presence.
Meanwhile, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed the teacher’s killing and disclosed that six suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction.
Makinde, through his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Suleimon Olanrewaju, said the state government was deploying both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to secure the release of the remaining captives.
“So, please, there may not be quick fixes, but we will continue to endeavour to push ourselves to the limit to resolve this quickly,” he said.
“What we know right now is that seven teachers in all were abducted. And, unfortunately, we got a video this morning that one of the teachers, I understand, the mathematics teacher, was killed by the terrorists.”
*Six suspects arrested
The governor disclosed that security agencies had already recorded breakthroughs in the ongoing operation.
“Well, from the information available from the Commissioner of Police, about six individuals have been arrested within the locality.
“Some of them, we believe, are perhaps informants or people running logistics for the terrorists.
“Also, three individuals of interest have been arrested by another security outfit within the state,” he stated.
Makinde further revealed that members of the military, the Amotekun Corps and local vigilantes lost their lives during rescue operations after encountering improvised explosive devices allegedly planted by the abductors.
According to him, the wounded operatives were responding positively to treatment, while the state government would continue to support security agencies involved in the operation.
He also warned that increased military pressure on terrorists and bandits in the North-West and North-East was forcing criminal elements southward.
“We must appreciate the fact that with the pressure on the terrorists and the bandits in the North-West and the North-East, they will keep moving southwards,” the governor said.
“The Governor of Kwara has spoken to me, but the problem that we have is that when you have pressure in one place, we must be prepared on this side to also either repel or neutralise terrorists fleeing the pressure point.”
The killing sparked protests among teachers in Oriire Local Government Area, where colleagues of the slain teacher staged a peaceful demonstration demanding urgent action to rescue the remaining victims and halt recurring attacks on schools.
The protesters carried placards and chanted solidarity songs while accusing authorities of failing to protect schools and rural communities from armed gangs adequately.
The attack also reportedly claimed the lives of an assistant headmaster, Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist during the invasion.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) described the attacks as a “national disgrace,” warning that organised criminal violence was spreading unchecked across parts of the country.
In a statement signed by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the association urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts, dismantle kidnapping networks and strengthen protection for schools and vulnerable rural settlements.
CAN said the attacks reflected “a dangerous spread of organised criminal violence and a collapse of security across the country.”
The Oyo State Police Command said investigations had commenced into the viral video circulating online, while tactical teams and intelligence operatives continued efforts to rescue the remaining captives.
