Oyo State House of Assembly has rejected suggestions and calls on the state government to negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attacks on Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire local government area on Friday, May 15, 2026.
The Assembly, however, called for intensified rescue operations to secure the release of victims abducted during the attack.
This came on the heels of threats by Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho to release the names of politicians behind the abduction of teachers and students in the Oriire council.
Igboho made the threat while speaking to the new executive members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) led by Akinteye Bàbàtunde at his residence in Soka area of Ibadan on Wednesday.
In the now-trending video, Igboho asserted that he had personally volunteered to dislodge the bandits but was met with defiance by the state government.
The Assembly’s resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Johnson Ogundele, during plenary, shortly after the House resumed from the Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) recess.
The motion highlighted growing insecurity in parts of the Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Presenting the motion, Ogundele recounted the May 15 attack on Ahoro-Esinele, and Yawota communities, where bandits invaded during school hours, killing a teacher, a student and an Okada rider, while abducting dozens of students, pupils and teachers.
The lawmaker expressed concern over the recurring attacks in the area, saying “Oriire had witnessed increasing bandit activities since January, including the attack on the National Park Service office at Oloka village, where five forest guards were killed.
“Let me use this period to call on Governor Seyi Makinde for his swift response, deployment of security operatives, rescue efforts and personal visit to the affected communities.
“I want to equally urge the state government to intensify support for security agencies and establish a permanent military base within and around vulnerable communities and forest corridors in the area,” he said
The Assembly also called on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to immediately conduct security audits of schools located near forests and border settlements across the state.
The Assembly urged the government to expedite the installation of solar-powered security lights, perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools and to develop a comprehensive Safe School Emergency Response Protocol for public and private schools across Oyo.
The lawmakers equally rejected suggestions and calls that the state government should negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attack at the community in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Seconding the motion, the Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South), renewed calls for the establishment of state police, urging the federal government to remove all obstacles delaying its creation.
Adedoyin said the recent rescue operations exposed the challenges conventional security agencies face while navigating dense forests, forcing them to rely heavily on local vigilantes and operatives of the state Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to penetrate difficult terrains.
He argued that the security realities confronting states had further justified the need for state police and urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the initiative.
Contributing to the debate, Olubisi Oluranti (Ogbomoso North) commended the efforts of the state governor and security agencies but stressed the need for increased deployment of personnel to vulnerable communities to prevent future attacks.
Also, Gbenga Oyekola (Atiba) blamed part of the security challenge on poor management of the expansive forest reserve owned and maintained by the federal government.
He lamented that despite the vast forest stretching across several parts of Oyo State and neighbouring states, security presence within the reserve remained inadequate.
Oyekola further expressed concern that despite reports of mining activities in parts of the forest, including sightings of helicopters landing and departing from the area, adequate security measures had not been put in place to protect residents and legitimate operators.
Also speaking, Gabriel Babajide (Ibadan North II) called for far-reaching structural reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture.
He recalled Makinde’s previous concerns about the limitations faced by governors who are constitutionally regarded as chief security officers of their states but lack direct control over security agencies.
Babajide appealed to the governor to recruit more personnel into the Amotekun Corps to strengthen local security operations and condemned attempts by some individuals to politicise the insecurity situation for partisan gains.
The Assembly subsequently adopted several resolutions, including a call on the federal government, through the Ministry of Defence and relevant agencies, to establish a permanent military base in Oriire LGA.
Lawmakers also urged the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency (OYSEMA) to provide trauma counselling, psychosocial support and relief materials to affected families, while calling on traditional rulers, community leaders and local government authorities to strengthen intelligence gathering and community policing initiatives.
The Assembly further directed its Committee on Security and Strategy to undertake an oversight visit to Oriire LGA to assess the security situation, engage stakeholders and recommend urgent legislative interventions.
In his remarks, Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, firmly “dismissed calls for the state government to negotiate with terrorists and kidnappers,” warning that “such a move could embolden criminal elements and encourage further attacks.”
While acknowledging the frustration, anxiety and impatience of families whose loved ones remained in captivity, the Speaker urged residents to continue supporting security agencies and the state government in ongoing rescue efforts.
Ogundoyin maintained that negotiating with terrorists would send the wrong signal and potentially strengthen criminal networks, insisting that the focus should remain on sustained security operations, intelligence gathering and coordinated rescue missions aimed at securing the safe release of all victims.
He, therefore, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to supporting measures that would strengthen security across Oyo and prevent a recurrence of attacks on schools and communities.
On the insecurity matters, Igboho also claimed that he had never demanded any money from the Seyi Makinde-led administration to rescue the 47 abductees.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans, so that they could be dislodged.
“I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money.
“The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him. They even have fake news propaganda to scare the masses and divert supporters away from the President.
“Suppose the recent abduction is not a game. In Oyo, they made away with children. I volunteered to go, but the state government said ‘No.’”, he said.
Later, they (Oyo government) informed me that the kidnappers said if I try to force myself to come rescue the children, they will kill them all. If they are serious about rescuing the victims, they should tell my boys and me to chase them out of the forests in our regions and see if those people will remain there even with their bombs and sophisticated weapons,” he said.
The activist maintained that after he got approval from the federal government for his security network christened “Iru Ekun”, the Oyo State government warned him from operating and that any attempt by him to rescue the children might lead to their death.
“After I arranged ‘Iru Ekun’ security network, the federal government permitted me, but the state government said no security must take a step behind them.
“Do we have to wait for him to flood the forests to rescue these children? I’m just concerned about these abductees; nobody can kidnap me, not even my family, because they are spread across Canada and Germany. Why should I fret?
“Despite how bad Buhari’s administration is, he completed his tenure. Why are they trying to stop a Yoruba man, Tinubu, from completing his?
“It was Tinubu who freed me when I was in exile. Why should I tackle him? And why are they trying to ruin his government? Igboho queried.
It would be recalled that on May 15, no fewer than 45 pupils were reportedly abducted during the Friday attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.