Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Today, 14 July 2026, the people of Oyo State on Twitter remembered a man who never made it home. His name was Oluwasegun Akanni, a commercial motorcycle rider who was shot dead on 15 May 2026 because he saw what the kidnappers did not want him to see. As terrorists were moving the abducted schoolchildren and teachers into the bush in Yawota, they spotted him. They killed him. Not because he fought back, not because he resisted—but because he was simply there.
On the morning of Friday, 15 May 2026, armed men on motorcycles stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, along with two other schools in the Ahoro-Esinle and Alawusa communities of Oriire Local Government Area. They came with guns and machetes, shooting into the air to spread panic before marching into classrooms to abduct 39 pupils and seven teachers. In the chaos, an assistant headmaster, Mr Adesiyan, was shot dead inside the school. But another death occurred outside the school gates. The okada rider was killed after he reportedly resisted attempts by the attackers to seize his motorcycle, according to police reports at the time. But the full story, as later told, was more tragic.
When the terrorists were moving the abducted children and teachers into the bush, they spotted Oluwasegun Akanni on his motorcycle. He was not chasing them; he was not trying to stop them. He was simply there, in the wrong place at the wrong time. They shot him dead and left him on the road. His crime was not resistance; his crime was being seen.
For weeks, his name was barely mentioned in the news. The press referred to him only as "an okada rider." But on social media, particularly on Twitter, those who knew him and those who learned his story began to speak his name: Oluwasegun Akanni. Today, on 14 July 2026, as Nigerians continue to reflect on the Oyo school abduction and the rescue of the victims, many on Twitter in Oyo State have been remembering him once again. They are asking: why was his life worth so little? Why did he die just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time?
On Twitter, the conversation has been emotional. One user wrote: "We remember Oluwasegun Akanni today. He was just an okada rider trying to make a living. He saw what they didn't want him to see, and they took his life. May his soul rest in peace." Another said: "His name is Oluwasegun Akanni. He was not just an 'okada rider.' He was a son, a brother, a father. He died for no reason. We will not forget him."
The pain is raw. His family lost a breadwinner. His community lost a young man who was simply trying to survive in a country where survival has become a daily battle.
On Friday, 10 July 2026, the 39 pupils and seven teachers were finally rescued after 56 days in captivity. The nation celebrated. Families reunited. Tears of joy flowed. But for the family of Oluwasegun Akanni, there was no reunion. There was no celebration. There was only the cold reality that he never came home.
As the people of Oyo State celebrate the return of the abducted children, they have not forgotten Oluwasegun Akanni. Today, 14 July 2026, his name has resurfaced on Twitter, carried by those who refuse to let his story be buried. They are reminding the world that every tragedy has many faces, and that behind every headline are names that deserve to be spoken.
Oluwasegun Akanni was a commercial motorcyclist. He was a young man who woke up every morning to carry passengers, to earn a living, to provide for his family. He did not ask to be a hero. He did not ask to be a victim. He was just trying to live. But on that Friday morning, he became a casualty of a crisis that Nigeria has failed to resolve.
Today, as Nigerians on Twitter remember him, his name is no longer lost. He is not just "an okada rider." He is Oluwasegun Akanni. May his soul rest in perfect peace. And may his family find the strength to bear this painful loss.
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