Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
On the very day that public school teachers across Oyo State downed their chalk and locked their classrooms in an indefinite strike over the abduction of 46 pupils and teachers, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (retd.), urged residents of the affected communities to set aside blame and instead turn to collective prayer and unity. Speaking on the escalating security crisis that has seen armed bandits drag schoolchildren and their instructors into the forests of Oriire Local Government Area, Musa declared that the terrorists’ ultimate goal was to instil fear, not to sow division among Nigerians. “This is the time for us to pray together, it’s not a time to blame anybody, it’s a time for unity. The terrorists just want to put fear in us,” the minister said, according to multiple news reports.
The minister’s remarks, made in the wake of the 15 May 2026 attack on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro‑Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, were met with a torrent of online outrage. Social media users questioned the effectiveness of prayer in the absence of decisive security action. “Prayer Dey stop insurgence? What’s really wrong with these people?” asked one user. Another wrote: “Are this people mad or what? When has prayers combated terrorists? Instead of them to do their job they are still feeding us the lies of deceit they used to feed us years ago.” The backlash highlighted a deepening chasm between official rhetoric and public frustration, as the 46 victims—including a two‑year‑old toddler, Christianah Akanbi—entered their third week in captivity.
The abduction that triggered the crisis began on the morning of 15 May when about 12 armed men on motorcycles, dressed in military camouflage, stormed the three schools. The attackers shot sporadically, killed an assistant headmaster, Mr. Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist, before forcing pupils and teachers into the bush. A mathematics teacher, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded in a viral video that sparked national revulsion. According to community leaders, 39 pupils and students and seven teachers were abducted. Among the teachers was the principal of Community High School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, who has since appeared in a desperate video from captivity, pleading with the government to negotiate rather than use force. “In fact, one of us has been picked that they are going to kill him because the government tried to help us by force,” she said in the recording.
While the Defence Minister called for prayer, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Monday, 1 June 2026, ordered an indefinite strike across all public primary and secondary schools in Oyo State. The union cited the “horrifying, inhumane and traumatic conditions” being endured by the captives and the absence of any clear sign of rescue. In a circular signed by National President Comrade Audu Titus Amba and Secretary General Dr. Clinton J. Ikpitibo, the NUT declared that teachers would remain at home until the abducted colleagues and learners are safely released. The strike saw full compliance in Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki, and other towns, with many students turned back at school gates. Only candidates sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and teachers assigned to invigilation duties were allowed into school premises. A teacher at Anglican Junior Secondary School, Orita‑Mefa, told reporters: “We are all complying in solidarity with the affected teachers, pupils and their families. We pray that the abducted victims will regain their freedom and return home safely.”
On the same day, members of the Take‑It‑Back Movement staged a protest at the Mokola Roundabout in Ibadan, carrying placards that read “Government must end kidnapping in Oyo State” and “Protect farmers, traders and students.” One protester declared: “Let them know that the people of Nigeria are not at peace. Let them know that the people of Oyo State are not smiling. Let them know that the Nigerian people are fed up with insecurity.” The demonstration came 24 hours after a high‑powered Federal Government delegation – led by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector‑General of Police Tunji Disu, and Defence Minister Musa – visited the affected communities of Esiele and Yawota. The delegation announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved the immediate recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Oyo State and the deployment of a specialised rescue team with advanced capabilities. The President also pledged to convey the community’s request for a military base to the appropriate authorities.
Governor Seyi Makinde, who visited Ogbomoso on Saturday, appealed for patience and unity, urging residents not to trade blame between the state and federal governments. “This is not the time to start trading blame on who should be responsible for the release of these children between the state and federal government. This is just the time to come together to rescue our children and their teachers,” he said. The governor disclosed that he had been holding security meetings twice daily and that over 200 Amotekun operatives had lost their lives battling insecurity in the state. He also revealed that the abductors had opened communication channels with the state government, though negotiations have yet to yield results.
The Defence Minister’s call for prayer, while intended to inspire unity, landed on a public already weary of official inaction. For the families of the 46 abducted pupils and teachers, the minister’s words – “This is the time for us to pray together” – offered no comfort. They have watched the principal’s desperate video, they have buried a beheaded teacher, and they have heard nothing from the forest where their children are being held. As one protester at Mokola Roundabout put it: “We don’t need prayers. We need action.”
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com
📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News
🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew
📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments