‘Our uncle is never coming home’ – Slain Oyo teacher’s family reacts after pupils’ rescue

By Tolulope Oke

While families of the rescued Oyo pupils and teachers celebrate their return after 56 days in captivity, the family of slain teacher Michael Olugbade Oyedokun is mourning the loss of a loved one who will never come home.

Oyedokun’s niece, Oluwabukolami, who has been speaking on behalf of the family since the abduction, expressed mixed emotions following the release of the victims on Friday.

In a post shared on Instagram, she congratulated the rescued victims and their families but said their own joy remained incomplete because her uncle was brutally killed by the abductors.

“They are finally home,” she wrote.

“My heart rejoices with every family that has been reunited with their loved ones after weeks of pain, fear and uncertainty. Welcome home.

“But as others celebrate, my family mourns.

“My uncle, Mr Michael Olugbade Oyedokun, will never come home. He was taken from us, and his life was brutally cut short.”

Oluwabukolami said the rescue of the remaining victims could not erase the pain of losing Oyedokun, adding that his absence would always be felt by the family.

“Our joy is incomplete because one chair at our table will remain empty forever,” she said.

She added that while the nation celebrates the safe return of the pupils and teachers, her family continues to remember the teacher whose life was taken during the ordeal.

“Today, we celebrate those who returned while remembering the one who never did,” she wrote.

Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher, was killed a day after gunmen abducted pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

President Bola Tinubu had earlier expressed joy over the rescue operation, saying security agencies successfully freed the victims after more than 50 days in captivity.

The President also vowed that his administration would ensure justice for the rescued children, their teachers, and the family of Oyedokun, whom he described as having been “gruesomely murdered” by the terrorists.