The Temvert Empowerment Foundation strongly condemns the abduction of over 40 pupils and teachers from the Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities of the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, 2026. We have seen the distressed video released by Mrs Alamu, one of the victims, where she called on the federal and state governments to negotiate with the terrorists for their release. Rather than seeing synergy between the state and federal governments to get the victims, it is very sad that they are engaging in blame games on who is responsible for insecurity in the state.
According to reports, children as young as 3 years old are part of the victims, and it is very sad that these kids are exposed to a lifetime of trauma. We have also seen a gory video where one of the abductees was gruesomely murdered by the terrorists, while others were exposed to harsh weather, treatment, and an unsafe forest.
Our organization, since its establishment, has been working hard to reduce the rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria, and we have been able to support students with scholarships, school materials, and other things within our means. The abduction of students from classrooms is frustrating the efforts of organisations like ours. It is crucial to note that the level of insecurity in this country has risen to a stage whereby parents are scared to enrol their kids in school, while students are also scared to go to school. Teachers panic to go to school all for the fear of abduction. To this end, our submission is that children cannot continue to be robbed their right to education because of insecurity.
In a report released by Save the Children, as of January 2026, more than 28 million Nigerian children still lack access to quality education. The rise in insecurity that has now extended to the southwest region is increasing the number.
This Oyo abduction is not an isolated event; we have read about the abductions of students from different parts of Nigeria, including the November abduction of 300 schoolchildren in Niger State. Oyo abduction is a continuation of this failure of governments to ensure the lives of the citizens are well protected.
The Temvert Empowerment Foundation hereby calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to facilitate the unconditional release of the victims and fully implement the safe schools declarations. While they are working to get them released, security forces should be deployed to all vulnerable communities to prevent reoccurrence.
We also call on international organisations to join us in demanding the government take decisive action to safeguard Nigerian children and communities.
Signed:
Temitayo Olatunde
Executive Director
Temvert Empowerment Foundation