…Demands Urgent Security Overhaul
THE NIGERIA Labour Congress, has called for urgent and decisive action to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity following the abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers in Oyo State.
In a strongly worded press statement entitled: “Address This Security Challenge Now,” and signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC lamented what he described as the growing normalisation of mass abductions and violent attacks across the country, warning that continued government inaction could erode public confidence in the state and push communities toward self-preservation and even allegiance to criminal groups.
The statement followed the abduction of an estimated 39 pupils and seven teachers from Community High School and L. A. Basic School in Ahoro-Esinele, as well as First Baptist School in Yawota, all located in Oriire LGA of Oyo State.
According to reports, armed men stormed the schools in coordinated attacks on May 15, seizing students, teachers and school officials before fleeing into nearby forests.
One teacher was reportedly killed during the attack, while another was allegedly murdered in captivity, further heightening public outrage.
Ajaero said the initial public reaction to the incident reflected not indifference but exhaustion and resignation born out of repeated episodes of insecurity across Nigeria.
“Ahoro Esinele and Yawota have refused to go away, partly due to the age of the abductees and perhaps due to the gory nature of the killing of one of the teachers in captivity,” he stated.
He accused bandits of using terror tactics designed not only to extort ransom payments but also to psychologically dominate communities through violence and fear.
“Bandits derive sadistic joy from putting infants through all manner of torture and posting same on social media as an extension of that torture as well as leverage to compel the government or the people to pay ransom,” he said.
The labour leader, however, acknowledged the swift response of security agencies and local vigilantes who reportedly pursued the attackers immediately after the abductions.
He noted that the rescue efforts were hampered by the use of improvised explosive devices and the deployment of abducted victims as human shields by the kidnappers.
“This is the tragedy of Ahoro Esinele and Yawota,” Ajaero said. “We seem to have lost the kinetic deterrence and capacity for opposed extraction.”
He warned that the country was approaching a dangerous point where citizens might begin to lose faith entirely in the government’s ability to provide security.
“Yet a greater tragedy awaits us all, and that is the potential switch of loyalty to bandits en masse by the citizenry,” he stated.
The abductions have sparked widespread concern because such large-scale school attacks have historically been more common in northern Nigeria, particularly in areas plagued by insurgency and armed banditry.
Security analysts have noted an alarming spread of kidnapping operations into southern states previously considered relatively safer.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed that tactical teams and intelligence assets had been deployed to the affected communities, while forensic analysis had begun on viral videos linked to the attack.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, also visited the affected communities and ordered intensified rescue operations and additional tactical deployments in the forests surrounding Oriire LGA.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board confirmed the death of a teacher during the attack and temporarily shut schools in neighbouring communities as a precautionary measure.
The incident has already triggered protests by public school teachers in Oyo State, who marched in Ogbomoso demanding the rescue of abducted colleagues and stronger security measures in schools and rural communities.
Governor Seyi Makinde said security agencies had arrested several suspects and persons of interest linked to the attack, while assuring residents that efforts were ongoing to secure the safe return of all abductees.
But Ajaero insisted that condolences and public assurances were no longer enough, urging governments at all levels and security agencies to fundamentally rethink their strategies against terrorism and banditry.
“Time has come for a sincere and honest conversation and change of both strategies and tactics in the war against terror,” Ajaero said. “We demand action now. We have had enough of sermons and condolence messages. For how long should we bleed like this?”
