That savage attack on schools in Oyo state

On Friday, May 15, a band of savages from the pit of hell attacked three schools in Ahoro-Esinelo/Esiele community, Oriire LG, in Oyo State. Thirty-nine pupils were abducted. Seven teachers were also taken into captivity. Two people, one a primary school head teacher and a motorcyclist, were killed during the attack. The scoundrels, cursed sons of Satan, recorded a video in which Teacher Michael Oyedokun was executed ISIS style. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the gory video. No doubt the perpetrators of the savage act were high on substances that are not ordinary. They were not high in the spirit of religion. The unholy spirit of mammon of Unrighteousness was and is the driving force. Such savagery! Such barbarity!

It is also reported that there are some school pupils languishing in the hands of kidnappers somewhere in Borno State, just like previous attacks on schools. How many of such incidents go unreported? How many people have actually lost their lives in such encounters? How do we measure the trauma of families who have had the misfortune of falling into the hands of these savages who reign with impunity? Last week, a General of the Nigerian Army lost his life to the savages. Our focus today is on how the future of the nation is endangered through attacks on schools.

The teachers and pupils/students in Oyo State had set out that day to dispense and receive knowledge in a secure environment. Schools should ordinarily be safe places for both teachers and students. But the venom of insecurity unleashed on the people of Nigeria has made education a dangerous adventure.

This is the first major mass abduction of students outside northern Nigeria. Chibok had its share in 2014 and drew global attention to the menace. It was also highly politicized to the embarrassment of then President Goodluck Jonathan Kebbi had its share on 17th November 2025, St. Mary Catholic School in Papiri was violently attacked on November 21st 2025. It is reported that over 1500 students have been abducted in the last five years! In the aftermath of the 2025 abduction, 20,468 schools closed indefinitely. This has been followed by mass withdrawals and declining enrolment. Parents want to avoid the nightmare of abducted children, some of whom have not returned from captivity!

On the part of the government, there have been platitudes. The President, Senator Bola Tinubu, condemned the killing of the teacher as barbaric. He ordered security agents to move in and arrest the scoundrels. One newspaper reported that he also used the opportunity to call on the National Assembly to pass the State Police bill. Governor Seyi Makinde said the state is prepared to listen to the demands of the abductors and get the victims released. It is reported that they are asking for financial rewards. No sum has been mentioned. Rescue operations are ongoing. The area has been cordoned off. But the big question is: when will this nightmare end?

It is the first quarter of the 21st century.  We seem to be at the acme of civilized conduct, of civilization. At the touch of a button, man can fly into space. To galaxies that are millions of miles away from the Earth. At the touch of a button, missiles can travel miles to hit targets with deadly accuracy. Vaccines can be developed at short notice. Technology has taken over both simple and difficult tasks. AI can do almost any task that is assigned to it. Yet, savagery has remained entrenched in mankind. And I remember the haunting spectacle captured in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies!

Savagery, which refers to ‘extremely cruel, violent behaviour or an uncivilized barbaric state of being’, as a way of life officially ended decades ago. But with some criminal elements masquerading as Islamist fundamentalists, we seem to have returned to the Dark Ages! That haunting look of fear, of trauma, and despondency on Mathematics Teacher Micheal Oyedokun’s face before he was brutally executed by the savages who kidnapped them will forever haunt managers of this country! It should not stop at haunting us. It should galvanize us into action. Real action. In solidarity with the students and teachers in captivity, I expected the cancellation of the Children’s Day activities scheduled for May 27. How can we mark Children’s Day with such panache when dozens of kids are living in the bondage created by kidnappers?

Former President Obasanjo has said that the Nigerian Army has the capacity. He alluded to drone technology. That technology which empowers the State to sit in the comfort of a Command Post and take out sons of Satan! So, what is lacking? The will? Political considerations? Are there some who subscribe to the inane notion that these scoundrels are brothers in Islam and should be pampered? Are there some who believe that an attack on these savages is an attack on the north?

The government must not give up. The problem is hydra-headed. It requires a multipronged approach. The nation is under siege. To act appropriately, the government needs information through intelligence gathering. The report ascribed to a state governor that minutes after security decisions are taken the bandits are briefed by infiltrators is disheartening.

The government is currently focused on the forthcoming general elections. But it is clear that people must stay alive to participate in elections. The intense preoccupation with gaining access to state resources contrasts sharply with actions needed to end the insurgency. In the 21st century, with the cooperation from security agencies from other jurisdictions, the Nigerian state should be able to neutralize the insurgents in the country.

It is obvious that the policy of accommodating ‘repentant terrorists’ has not been effective. It is counterproductive. Criminal elements must not be rewarded with state largesse. Crime and punishment should be entrenched in the land. The current rate of kidnapping is a national embarrassment. Lives are violated with impunity. Non-state actors seem to hold the Nigerian government by its jugular. An army that participated in ECOMOG and restored peace to Sierra Leone in those dark years must rise again. Known sympathizers with the ‘cause’ of the terrorists must be dealt with decisively. There should be no politicking over this matter. It is inanity to dwell on whether this was a terrorist attack or not. Come on, lives are at stake. The federal delegation visited the town where terrorists struck without touching base with the state government or local government officials! This is unfortunate!

Reno Omokri is quoted as saying that the federal government cannot police all schools in Nigeria. What an unfortunate and insensitive statement to come from a country’s ambassador. Finally, on this matter, who is in charge of rescuing the poor unfortunate citizens from the bloody hands of the bloody scoundrels?