Traditional ruler of Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Baale Emmanuel Alade, Credit: News Central
The traditional ruler of Yawota in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Baale Emmanuel Alade, has revealed that parents of schoolchildren abducted by gunmen rejected relief materials and cash brought by government officials, insisting instead on the safe return of their children.
Speaking in a video interview posted by News Central on Monday, the monarch recounted the attack on the community, saying he witnessed suspicious movements shortly before gunmen struck.
“I was sitting here when I saw them pass by, but I don’t know them at all.
“Not quite long after, we started hearing gunshots. They said bandits had entered the community and everyone ran away. The person that went to see them was gunned down,” Baale Alade said.
He said the attackers abducted several pupils and teachers during the raid.
“That was how the students were taken away. Little children were taken away while they kept shooting,” he added.
He disclosed that government officials later visited the community with relief materials, including bags of rice and cash donations, accompanied by women said to be from Governor Seyi Makinde’s team.
However, the gesture was rejected by distraught parents.
“When government officials came, they came with rice and money. The parents rejected it. Women who are government officials on Seyi Makinde’s team came to console us. They console the women.
“They came with rice and money, but they rejected it, saying they want their children released,” the monarch said.
Terrorists attacked three schools on May 15, 2026, in Esiele, Yamota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area, and abducted over 40 pupils, students, and teachers, and killed an assistant headmaster identified as Mr Adesiyan Adegboye.
The attackers also killed an abducted mathematics teacher, Mr Michael Oyedokun, whose beheading was captured in another video.
The abduction has triggered public outrage, with residents and stakeholders calling for intensified efforts to secure the release of the victims.
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards in Oyo State.
He also directed a specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities to intensify efforts to free abducted pupils and teachers.
However, the Nigeria Union of Teachers declared an indefinite strike in Oyo State and announced plans for nationwide solidarity rallies to press the government for the rescue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers.
They also organised protests across states on Monday and continued on Tuesday.
The Punch
