The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government and security agencies to secure the immediate release of pupils and teachers abducted from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School in Oyo State.
The call, made on Tuesday, followed a motion moved by Hon. Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, who appealed for urgent action to bring the victims home safely.
“Bring our remaining sons, daughters, and teachers home alive without further delay, for every hour lost is an hour in which we risk losing them forever,” he said.
The lawmakers’ intervention comes amid growing public outrage over the worsening security situation in the area. A teacher, Michael Oyedokun, who was among those abducted from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area, was reportedly beheaded by his captors.
Protests also continued across the country on Tuesday, with the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) staging demonstrations in several states, following a peaceful rally by civil society groups in Ibadan on Monday demanding the immediate rescue of the victims.
As part of measures to tackle insecurity, the House called for the establishment of a permanent military forward operating base in Oriire LGA, in addition to the 1,000 forest guards already approved by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the lawmakers, the move would ensure a sustained security presence across the Old Oyo National Park and surrounding border corridors, preventing the area from serving as a haven for criminal elements.
The House also renewed its call for the implementation of a decentralised security architecture, including the creation of state police, local government policing units, decentralised courts, and an integrated national intelligence and surveillance network.
The lawmakers argued that Nigerians had waited long enough for such reforms, warning that further delays would continue to endanger innocent lives and worsen the country’s security challenges.
