As teachers and pupils recently abducted in Oyo State remain in captivity, members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) hold a protest nationwide yesterday, calling for the immediate release of the victims.
In Abuuja, the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, launched a nationwide solidarity protest demanding the immediate, unconditional release of 39 students and seven teachers who were abducted in Oyo State.
The mass demonstrations hit major state capitals and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, following a direct mandate from the national leadership of the union.
It would be recalled that May 15, 2026, heavily armed bandits riding motorcycles invaded three educational institutions—Baptism Nursery and Primary School (Yawota), Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School (Esiele)—located in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and abducted both pupils and teachers to an unknown destination.
An assistant headmaster, a mathematics teacher named Michael Oyedokun, and a local motorcyclist were brutally killed by the attackers.
A total of 46 victims, including primary and secondary school pupils, remain under terrorist custody in nearby forests. Similar concurrent school mass-abductions were reported in Borno State.
The NUT directed public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State to launch an indefinite strike starting Monday, June 1, 2026, completely shutting down academic activities.
This escalated into simultaneous nationwide solidarity rallies across all 36 states yesterday. Teachers marched from the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters to Area 11 carrying placards reading “Release our teachers and learners unconditionally”.
Lagos State: Protesters converged at the Ikeja Bus Stop and marched down to the Alausa Government Secretariat.
Extensive peaceful protests and classroom service withdrawals were explicitly documented by NUT wings in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Plateau, Edo, Taraba, Kano, and Adamawa states.
Immediate military intervention to rescue the victims, total implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, and the provision of dedicated security personnel and perimeter fencing for all public schools.
The national outrage prompted a wave of social advocacy, including high-profile mobilization calls from online activists.
In response to the crisis, President Bola Tinubu deployed a specialized rescue team and approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards while considering a dedicated military base in the region to counter the heavily armed bandits.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, lamented the operational security limitations, stating that over 200 Amotekun operatives had already lost their lives fighting rural insecurity. Adddressing the crowd of protesters yesterday at government, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo state, governor Seyi Makinde assured the protesters that both pupils and teachers kidnapped will rescue alive. Stressing that both Federal Government, State Government and the Local Government are working tirelessly for safety return of the kidnapped.
