Oyo abductions: Reps decry math teacher’s death, seek state police

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to urgently adopt measures for the implementation of state police across the country as part of efforts to tackle worsening insecurity and rising cases of abductions. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Ogbomosho North/Ogbomosho South/Orire Federal Constituency of Oyo State, Ayodeji Alao-Akala. Moving the motion, Alao-Akala decried the persistent attacks on communities in Ogbomosho and Orire Local Government Areas, citing the recent abduction of schoolchildren and the killing of a Mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, by suspected gunmen. “The House notes with a heavy and grieving heart the unrelenting siege upon the people of Ogbomoso and Orire Local Government Areas of Oyo State, a siege that began with the brazen attack on the Old Oyo National Park in January 2025 and reached its most harrowing depths on the morning of May 16, 2025, when armed bandits descended upon Baptist Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community Grammar School (Esiele), and LEA Primary School, dragging more than 30 children and their teachers into the forest,” he said. “The terrified parents could only watch and weep.” The lawmaker expressed concern over the killing of Oyedokun while in captivity, describing it as a shocking act that demands urgent action from government authorities. “The House is deeply disturbed by the barbaric execution of Mr Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher, who was beheaded in captivity by his abductors, a savage act that has shocked the conscience of our nation and demands an immediate and decisive response from every arm of government,” he stated. Alao-Akala said families of the victims continue to endure anguish as some of the abducted children remain in captivity. “Every passing hour of their captivity is an hour of unbearable agony for families who do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead,” he added. While acknowledging the recent deployment of 1,000 forest guards to the region, the lawmaker maintained that more decisive action was required. “These measures must be expedited as we no longer want sympathy after the fact. We want to stop burying our children,” he said. He warned that the Old Oyo National Park and adjoining forests have become a haven for criminal elements due to the difficult terrain and their proximity to interstate and international routes. “We are alarmed that the Old Oyo National Park and its surrounding forests are a vast, ungoverned wilderness straddling the border with Kwara State and opening onto international routes—a hidden highway through which these killers move freely, making the Orire axis the gateway through which terror is now creeping into the heart of the South-West,” he said. • FG inaugurates Democracy Day committee, hails MKO Abiola’s sacrifices • End terrorism within 90 days or quit, Adeboye tells service chiefs • Chinda dumps PDP for APC, resigns as Reps Minority Leader Alao-Akala recalled that the House had previously adopted recommendations supporting the decentralisation of Nigeria’s security architecture through the establishment of state police, local government policing units, decentralised courts and integrated intelligence systems. According to him, continued delay in implementing the framework would leave communities vulnerable to criminal attacks. Contributing to the debate, the member representing Ede North/Ede South/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency of Osun State, Bamidele Salam, lamented the growing threat posed by attacks on schools across the country. “The abduction of school children, which started with the kidnapping of Chibok girls a few years ago, is becoming a trend. One of the keys to liberating a people is education, and if that key is in the hands of killers, then there is a problem,” he said. “As leaders, we need to attend to this issue with a sense of urgency. Most of the children of the leaders attend private schools, some outside the country. “The children of the poor attend public schools, but we cannot close our eyes to the plight of the children of the poor.” Salam called on the Federal Government to establish a special security force dedicated to protecting schools nationwide. Dismissing suggestions that securing all schools across the country would be difficult, he said, “I disagree with those who say we cannot protect all schools. The government can do this.” Also speaking, the member representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State, Benedict Etanabene, said insecurity had become a nationwide challenge requiring urgent and practical solutions. “The stories are not good anywhere. From the North to the South, Nigerians are living in fear for their lives and property. We cannot keep procrastinating over state policing. It is not good to keep politicising insecurity,” he said. Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the Federal Government and security agencies to secure the safe and unharmed release of all students and teachers still being held by their abductors. Lawmakers also called for the establishment of a permanent Forward Operating Base in Orire Local Government Area to strengthen security operations around the Old Oyo National Park and surrounding communities. The House further urged both the Executive and Legislative arms of government to ensure the implementation of resolutions aimed at decentralising the country’s policing structure and improving security nationwide.