Tinubu dispatches security heavyweights to Oyo Forest as hunt for abducted pupils intensifies

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

A powerful delegation from President Bola Tinubu’s administration has stormed Oyo State in a dramatic show of federal resolve following the shocking abduction of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers from remote communities in the Ogbomoso axis of the state.

The high-powered team, led by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, arrived in Ogbomoso on Sunday before proceeding to Esiele and Yawota villages in Oriire Local Government Area, where armed men launched coordinated attacks on schools and whisked away pupils and teachers into surrounding forests.

Also on the delegation were National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa; Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu;  Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe and Special Adviser on Public Communications, Sunday Dare.

The visit comes amid growing national outrage over the mass kidnapping that has left families traumatised and communities gripped by fear.

According to Sunday Dare, the delegation’s mission was part of President Tinubu’s coordinated efforts to secure the release of the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“A powerful Presidential Delegation just arrived Ogbomoso enroute to the villages of Esiele and Yawota where armed men simultaneously raided Baptist Nursery and Primary schools seizing about 46 pupils and teachers,” Dare disclosed.

The attack, which occurred earlier this month, has been described as one of the most disturbing school abductions recorded in Nigeria’s South-West region in recent years.

Reports indicate that gunmen stormed multiple schools in Ahoro Esinele and Yawota communities, abducting dozens of pupils, students and teachers during a coordinated operation.

Investigations and eyewitness accounts suggest that the victims were taken through vast forest routes stretching across several local government areas and linking parts of Oyo and neighbouring Kwara State.

Dare revealed that the affected communities lie within a massive forest reserve spanning eight local government areas, a terrain that security agencies believe may have aided the kidnappers’ movements.

“The visit of the security-focused Presidential delegation comes after the initial visit of IGP Tunji Disu to Esiele and Yawota villages barely days after the attack for on-the-spot assessment and necessary security deployments,” he said.

He added that security reinforcements had already been deployed to the area as authorities intensify search-and-rescue operations.

President Tinubu had earlier condemned the abductions and assured Nigerians that every available security resource would be deployed to rescue the victims.

The latest visit by some of the country’s most senior security and government officials is being seen as a strong signal that Abuja is taking the incident with utmost seriousness amid mounting pressure from parents, community leaders and civil society groups.