Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has levelled a grave allegation against powerful Nigerians, insisting that the wave of mass abductions sweeping the country, particularly the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers, is not the work of lone criminals but is being sponsored by politicians. Speaking during a fiery church service in Port Harcourt, the prominent cleric said the abductors could not be operating without the backing of influential sponsors, and he pointedly asked why the Department of State Services (DSS) – an agency with the capability to track individuals through phone calls – has failed to make any arrests. “They are not just picking these children without sponsors. Politicians must be behind it,” Ibiyeomie declared.
The pastor’s remarks come in the wake of a spate of abductions that have pushed Nigeria’s insecurity crisis to a new level. On 15 May 2026, about 12 armed men on motorcycles, dressed in military camouflage, simultaneously attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing an assistant headmaster and a commercial motorcyclist before abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers. The victims include a two‑year‑old toddler, Christianah Akanbi, and the principal of Community High School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, who has since appeared in a video from captivity, pleading with the government to negotiate for their release. A mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded in a viral video. The same weekend, armed bandits also attacked a mosque in Kaduna State during Maghrib prayers, killing a worshipper and abducting several others, and bandits in Sokoto State killed at least 17 people, including seven visitors who had travelled home for Eid‑el‑Kabir. The Oyo abduction, which has now entered its third week, has sparked nationwide protests and an indefinite strike by the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Oyo State.
Ibiyeomie did not stop at naming politicians; he also turned his attention to the security apparatus. “Do you know that even the DSS can track people and know where they are, so how come they are not tracking these kidnappers?” he asked. “There must be an invisible hand behind it because if you are calling from anywhere they would know the spot where you are, so how come in Nigeria nobody is ever caught?” The cleric noted that the persistent failure to arrest any major players in the kidnapping syndicates, despite the sophisticated surveillance and tracking technologies available to the DSS, raises serious questions about whether some powerful individuals are shielding the criminals. His statement has since gone viral on social media, with many Nigerians echoing his frustration and demanding answers from the security agencies.
Switching to his pastoral authority, Ibiyeomie quoted Ezekiel 35: 6 and declared spiritual judgment on those he accused of sponsoring the evil. “Everyone sponsoring this evil in Nigeria, let them and their children die by blood,” he prayed, warning that the sword of judgment would never depart from the wicked. The prayer was met with a thunderous “amen” from his congregation.
The allegations come at a time when several political and religious figures have pointed fingers at powerful interests behind the insecurity. Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho had earlier made similar claims, threatening to release the names of politicians he alleged were sponsoring kidnappers. The Oyo State House of Assembly has also rejected calls to negotiate with the abductors, insisting on intensified rescue operations. As of Thursday, 4 June 2026, the 46 victims of the Oriire abduction remain in captivity, and no arrest of any major sponsor has been reported.
The DSS has yet to issue an official response to Pastor Ibiyeomie’s allegations. When contacted by several news outlets, the agency’s spokesperson had not commented. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has continued to deploy security resources to the affected areas, with President Bola Tinubu approving the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Oyo State and the deployment of a specialised rescue unit, but no rescue breakthrough has been announced. The Nigeria Union of Teachers has declared an indefinite strike in Oyo State, and civil society groups have held multiple protests demanding the release of the captives. As the days stretch into weeks, Ibiyeomie’s question hangs over the nation: if the DSS can track a single phone call, why has nobody been caught?
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