Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Suspected gunmen who abducted 39 students and seven teachers in Ahoro Esinele community, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, have opened communication channels with the state government and are demanding an undisclosed ransom for the release of the victims. Multiple sources familiar with the negotiation process confirmed that indirect talks are currently underway, but the exact amount being demanded by the abductors is being kept as a top secret to avoid jeopardizing the lives of the captives. The development comes as families of the missing victims continue to mount intense pressure on both federal and state authorities to secure the safe return of their loved ones, nearly two weeks after the coordinated attack on three schools in the area.
According to sources who spoke with Vanguard and other news outlets on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, the kidnappers have insisted on speaking directly with Governor Seyi Makinde as a condition for negotiation, refusing to engage with the families of the victims. A source close to the government confirmed that the abductors stated they would only talk to the governor and nobody else, a condition that has complicated the government’s response while raising hopes that a breakthrough may be imminent. Abayomi Fagbenro, the Special Adviser to Governor Makinde on Security, declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations, telling reporters, “I can’t give any information at the moment.” A top security source, however, described the opening of communication as a relief, noting that “it is not that security agencies don’t know what to do, but the risks are too high. The relief is that at least now, they are talking.”
The abduction occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, when about 12 armed men on motorcycles, dressed in military camouflage, stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro‑Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele. The attackers shot sporadically, killing an assistant headmaster, Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist, before forcing pupils and teachers into the bush. A mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded by his captors in a viral video that sparked national outrage. The victims have now spent nearly two weeks in captivity, with many of them young children, including toddlers aged two and three, whose safety is of growing concern as the rainy season complicates movement through the forested hideouts where they are believed to be held.
In response to the abduction, security agencies have deployed significant assets to the region. A police helicopter is on standby in what sources describe as “an area of interest,” while military jets are conducting daily sorties over the forests of the Old Oyo National Park, where the abductors are believed to have taken the victims. The rescue efforts are being coordinated by the Oyo State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Military, and the Department of State Services (DSS). A source familiar with the operation assured that “the state government will not spare resources just to get the victims back. Human lives are more important than money and ego.” Meanwhile, the family of the beheaded teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene personally in the recovery of his remains for a dignified burial.
The attack has sent shockwaves through the South‑West region and triggered widespread condemnation from civil society groups, religious bodies, and political leaders. The Nigeria Labour Congress, led by Joe Ajaero, has called for an urgent overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, warning that the continued normalization of mass abductions is eroding public trust in government. The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the party’s interim National Working Committee, led by Kabiru Turaki, visited Governor Makinde in Ibadan on Tuesday to commiserate with the state government and call for sweeping security reforms. Turaki told journalists after the meeting that the current security arrangement, which denies state governors direct control over security agencies operating within their territories, is ineffective and urgently needs to be overhauled.
Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho has also weighed in, announcing that he is still awaiting federal approval to launch his Iru Ekun Security Network, a private security outfit aimed at flushing criminals out of South‑West forests. Igboho said he has submitted all required documents and is ready to collaborate with the police, military, and other security agencies to end the reign of terror in rural communities. As the negotiation process continues, the people of Oyo State and the nation at large wait anxiously for news of the safe return of the 46 abducted pupils and teachers.
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