June 13, 2026
By Dayo Johnson, Regional Editor, South West
On Friday, May 15 2026, scores of terrorists riding on motorcycles came in broad daylight when pupils of Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School as well as students of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo state were already in the classrooms. In an operation that didn’t last long but claimed the life of a teacher, the terrorists abducted 39 pupils and students including toddlers and seven of their teachers and herded them into the forest. While in captivity, the terrorists slaughtered one of the male teachers and one of the pupils was said to have died. The remaining abductees are still being held in the forest almost one month after without being rescued. This has caused great concern and anguish among the residents especially in the South West region in the country provoking protests and strikes by the teachers.
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Expressing concern over the spate of insecurity in the region, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, last Sunday at the grand finale of the 2026 Ifa festival, described the abduction as painful and unacceptable. He therefore tasked traditional rulers across Yorubaland to deploy their ancestral powers to fight the terrorists. He said, “We must bring together our traditional powers, spiritual heritage, and communal values to chase bandits, kidnappers, and all criminal elements out of Yorubaland and Nigeria as a whole. Our ancestors stood for justice, peace, and communal harmony, and we must invoke those values at this critical time. We must rise collectively against the menace of banditry and kidnapping. Enough is enough. Our people deserve to live in peace and move freely without fear. Traditional rulers must take greater responsibility in safeguarding their communities while supporting the efforts of the government and security agencies”.
