OGBOMOSO, Nigeria — A high-powered presidential delegation has arrived in Ogbomoso following the simultaneous abduction of roughly 46 pupils and teachers from schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The top-level team is led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and includes National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Tunde Disu, and Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa. Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe and the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications, Sunday Dare, are also part of the mission.
The delegation is traveling directly to the affected rural communities of Esiele and Yawota, where heavily armed men launched coordinated raids on the Baptist Nursery and Primary School alongside other locations.
Coordinated Rescue Efforts Activated
The mass abduction in the Ogbomoso axis has sparked widespread outrage and deep anxiety across Nigeria.
Writing on the social media platform X on Sunday, presidential adviser Sunday Dare confirmed that President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate, multi-agency response to track down the kidnappers.
“A powerful Presidential Delegation just arrived Ogbomoso en route to the villages of Esiele and Yawota where armed men simultaneously raided Baptist Nursery and Primary schools seizing about 46 pupils and teachers,” Mr Dare stated.
The presidency indicated that specific directives have been issued to the military and police leadership to:
- Intensify Intelligence Gathering: Deploy advanced tracking assets to locate the standard movement patterns of the bandits in the surrounding forests.
- Secure Immediate Release: Prioritize the safe rescue of the children and educators without putting their lives at risk.
- Enforce Accountability: Ensure the perpetrators are hunted down and brought to justice to deter future school raids.
Growing Local Anxiety
The high-profile visit comes amid mounting pressure from frantic parents, relatives, and community leaders, who have spent the days following the raid appealing to both the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government for swift intervention.
Schools in the region have historically felt isolated from major security hubs, leaving them vulnerable to opportunistic raids by armed gangs operating across state lines.
While security agencies have locked down the immediate perimeters of the affected villages, official updates regarding the exact location or physical condition of the hostages remain tightly guarded. Intelligence sources indicate that active search-and-rescue operations are currently ongoing in the border forests connecting Oyo and neighboring Kwara State.
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