Igboho Vows to Name Backers Of Oyo School Children Kidnappers
Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Igboho has vowed to name politicians he alleges are sponsoring kidnappers behind the abduction of school children in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State if the perpetrators do not stop their activities.
Speaking on Wednesday in a video while receiving newly elected executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students led by Akinteye Babatunde at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan Igboho claimed some politicians were backing the kidnappers operating in the state. He said he had offered to help rescue the abducted pupils but the Oyo State Government stopped him after the kidnappers threatened to kill the victims if he intervened.
“If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins they are humans so that they could be dislodged. I know the politicians behind them and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money,” he said.
Igboho added that state authorities later told him the kidnappers warned they would kill all the children if he forced his way into the forests. He questioned why officials would not allow his boys and him to chase the abductors out even with their bombs and sophisticated weapons.
The activist further stated that despite securing federal approval for his Iru Ekun security network the Oyo State Government blocked its deployment in the rescue mission. He expressed concern for the abductees and noted that nobody could kidnap him or his family members who are spread across Canada and Germany.
Igboho linked the security problems to efforts aimed at undermining President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him. They even have fake news propaganda to scare the masses and divert supporters away from the President,” he said. He recalled that Tinubu freed him during his time in exile and questioned why anyone would try to stop a Yoruba man from completing his tenure.
His remarks followed the May 15 abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area near Ogbomoso. Reports indicate around forty six victims in total including seven teachers with one teacher killed during the attack. The incident triggered protests across Oyo Ogun and Lagos states as well as teacher strikes in Oyo and calls for intensified rescue operations. The Oyo State House of Assembly has rejected any negotiation with the bandits and urged stronger efforts to free the captives. President Tinubu has deployed federal teams approved additional forest guards and sent rescue units.
This case forms part of a wider pattern of school abductions in Nigeria. Data from monitoring groups show at least ten such incidents since January 2024 affecting more than six hundred and seventy children. Since 2023 at least nine mass school kidnappings have involved five hundred and fifty one students and staff. Earlier figures from the United Nations indicate over one thousand six hundred and eighty children abducted in conflict related violence between 2014 and 2022 with many incidents tied to demands for ransom or political leverage. Community leaders and unions have highlighted rising threats in the Southwest following the Oriire attack while federal and state authorities stress coordinated security responses and legal channels for intervention.