Teachers and civil society groups on Friday staged a peaceful protest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, demanding urgent government intervention to secure the release of teachers and pupils abducted in Oriire Local Government Area.
The demonstrators warned that the safety of teachers and schoolchildren across the state could no longer be treated lightly.
The protest was organised by the Oyo State Teachers Action Group in collaboration with the Nigeria Teachers Congress (NTC), a non-governmental organisation.
This is even as the Presidency has tackled the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, following his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration regarding the proposed implementation of state police.
The presidency’s response was contained in a statement on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun.
Makinde, had on Thursday urged the federal government to stop deceiving Nigerians over the creation of state police. He insisted that state governments already possess the power to establish their own policing structures through local legislation.
Governor Makinde made the assertions during the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly primaries of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) held at the Watershed Celebration Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Addressing party members and delegates at the event, the governor reflected on the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, across the South-west, describing the outfit as a fallback option after initial efforts to establish state police failed.
According to him, the regional security outfit was created by South-west states through laws passed by their respective Houses of Assembly—a legislative process he argued could also be adopted for establishing full state police.
“Some people will know insecurity was one of the major pillars of this administration when we established Omitutun phase one and phase two, and it will remain a major pillar. Before this government’s emergence, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo State. We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stopgap. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time,” Governor Makinde stated.
“We know how we established Amotekun. The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly is here. We passed a common law in the whole of the Southwest. The whole Houses of Assembly in all states in the Southwest passed the law, and that led to the creation of Amotekun.
“The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State, and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” he said.
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Replying via a post on his X handle, presidential aide Dada Olusegun accused Governor Makinde of using the federal government as a scapegoat to deflect from the rising insecurity and underfunding plaguing his own state.
He said:
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Gov. Seyi Makinde’s recent outburst accusing President Tinubu of “wasting time” on State Police and claiming Lagos boycotted Amotekun for political points is just a masterclass in deflection. When a Governor is grappling with rising insecurity in his own state, the instinct to scapegoat the center is predictable.
Makinde claims Lagos ignored Amotekun to appease PBAT is entirely False with the President being the one of the voices that clamoured for a local security network to aid the federal efforts on Security.
Makinde praises Amotekun as his glorious “stop-gap,” yet the reality in Oyo is tragic underfunding. While Lagos mobilizes billions for the welfare and resources of all security apparatus in Lagos state, Oyo sends brave Amotekun operatives into forests with pump-action rifles to fight AK-47-wielding syndicates. Press conferences don’t buy ballistic vests.
If Gov. Makinde cannot adequately finance, equip, and manage his own regional vigilante group, how does he plan to shoulder the colossal financial burden of a full-fledged State Police? State policing requires forensic labs, armories, pensions, and unassailable funding, not just loud rhetoric.
President Tinubu understands that constitutional security reform requires meticulous legality and rigid economic frameworks, not rushed politics to distract from local failures.
Before lecturing the architect of Nigeria’s most successful security funding model, Gov. Makinde owes the people of Oyo State a duty of care. Elevate Amotekun from a poorly funded political prop into a tactically superior force. Until then, the lectures remain hollow.
Fix Oyo first!!!”
The abducted teachers and pupils were kidnapped on May 15, 2026, in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Ogbomoso.
Addressing the protesters, the National President of the NTC, Reverend Bunmi Thomas, said the organisation joined the demonstration in solidarity with the victims and their families, stressing that the protest was lawful and aimed at pressing the government to intensify rescue efforts.
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“When we heard about the proposed protest by the Oyo State Teachers Action Group, we were satisfied and decided to join them because what they are doing is lawful,” Thomas said.
“They are demanding pragmatic action from the government to secure the release of the abducted teachers and students.”
Thomas acknowledged reports that efforts were already underway to rescue the victims but insisted that the government needed to do more.
“If the government is trying and the desired result has not been achieved, then more efforts must be intensified. We want the government to do more to rescue the teachers and pupils,” he added.
He expressed concern over the condition of the victims, particularly young children reportedly being held in difficult conditions in the bush.
“We have children as young as two and three years old in the bush. They are exposed to rain and harsh weather conditions. These victims are in danger, and nobody knows who could be next,” he lamented.
The union leader also called on the state government to deploy security personnel to public schools across Oyo State, arguing that teachers should not be forced to work under constant fear.
“We want the government to attach security personnel to all government schools. We cannot continue to work while living in danger,” he said.
Thomas, however, clarified that the protest was not directed against Governor Seyi Makinde or his administration, which he commended for its performance in office.
“No reasonable teacher in Oyo State is against Governor Seyi Makinde because he has performed excellently well. However, we need regular updates on efforts being made to rescue our teachers and students,” he stated.
Responding to the protest, the Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security Matters, retired Commissioner of Police, Sunday Odukoya, assured the demonstrators that the government was making active efforts to secure the release of the victims.
“It is your constitutional right to protest and let the government know your concerns. This incident is unfortunate, but I want to assure you that the government is not folding its arms over the matter,” he said.
Odukoya explained that certain operational details could not be disclosed publicly so as not to jeopardise ongoing rescue efforts.
“Since this incident happened, Governor Seyi Makinde has been on top of the situation. I have personally visited the area several times, and both the traditional ruler in Esiele and residents of Yawota can attest to the government’s efforts,” he added.
He also assured the teachers that no participant in the protest would face intimidation, harassment or victimisation.
“Governor Seyi Makinde believes strongly in the rule of law. No teacher involved in this protest will be victimised. That has never happened under this administration and it will not happen,” he stated.
Despite the assurances, the protesters urged the government to show greater urgency and compassion, noting the traumatic conditions the victims were enduring in captivity.
“We are not against the government, but we are appealing to its moral conscience. The government must intensify efforts and ensure the safe return of the kidnapped teachers and pupils,” the group said
