Tears and Panic as Abducted Oyo Schoolchildren Beg for Help in Viral Videos, Senate Demands Urgent Rescue

Fear and outrage swept across Nigeria on Sunday after heartbreaking videos emerged showing abducted pupils, teachers and school officials kidnapped during a terrorist attack on schools in Oyo State pleading for help from the government and the public.

The victims were taken hostage after heavily armed attackers riding motorcycles stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on Friday morning. The affected schools included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele; and L.A. Primary School.

The assault left at least two people dead, including an assistant headmaster identified as Mr Adesiyan and a commercial motorcyclist who was reportedly shot after resisting attempts to surrender his bike to the gunmen.

One of the disturbing videos circulating online featured the abducted principal of Community High School, Mrs Alamu, speaking from captivity alongside students and staff members. Visibly distressed, she appealed to the Federal Government, the Christian Association of Nigeria and Governor Seyi Makinde to urgently intervene and secure their release.

“We were attacked on Friday around 9:30 am and many of us, including students and staff, were abducted,” she said. “We are pleading with the Federal Government, Oyo State Government and all well-meaning Nigerians to come to our rescue so that our lives will not be lost.”

Another emotional video showed Temitope Mary Dahunsi, a teacher at the Baptist school, begging President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to save the kidnapped children, many of whom she said had been crying continuously since the abduction.

The Nigeria Police Force confirmed it had received the videos and disclosed that forensic analysis was ongoing to determine their authenticity and assist rescue efforts. Oyo State Police spokesperson, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, said intelligence-driven operations involving multiple security agencies had intensified to ensure the victims were rescued unharmed.

The shocking attack has reignited concerns over rising insecurity in schools across Nigeria, especially after a similar abduction reportedly occurred in Borno State where insurgents attacked a school in Askira/Uba and abducted dozens of students.

Reacting to the incidents, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele described the kidnappings as “an attack on the future of Nigeria” and renewed calls for the establishment of state police to strengthen local security responses.

Bamidele said the National Assembly was already advancing constitutional amendments to allow state policing, arguing that the current security structure was overstretched. He also urged governments at all levels to fully implement the Safe School Initiative to prevent further attacks on educational institutions.

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere also reacted strongly, warning that the South-West was increasingly becoming vulnerable to terrorism and kidnapping. The organisation said the latest attack showed that “Yorubaland is now under siege.”

Afenifere spokesman, Jare Ajayi, accused South-West governors of failing to match the growing security threat with decisive action. He pointed to a string of recent kidnappings, attacks on churches and killings across Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Kwara states as evidence that armed groups were expanding operations deeper into the region.

The group, however, commended the recent deployment of security measures, including the launch of the Police Violence Crime Response Unit in Ibadan, expressing hope that stronger coordination between police, Amotekun and other security outfits would help prevent future attacks.

As rescue efforts continue, anxiety remains high among families of the abducted victims, while many Nigerians on social media continue demanding immediate and aggressive action from the government to stop the growing wave of school kidnappings across the country.