Oyo Schools Kidnap: Terrorists Demand Direct Talks With Makinde
By: Abudu Olalekan
Oyo schools kidnap crisis deepens as suspected terrorists open talks with the state government while fear spreads across schools in Ogbomoso and nearby communities.
Fear still hangs heavily across parts of Oyo State. Classrooms are growing empty. Parents are scared. Teachers too. And somewhere deep inside the forests, dozens of abducted pupils and school workers are still being held.
Fresh findings by Reportersroom show that the suspected terrorists behind the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers from Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa communities in Oriire Local Government Area have finally opened communication channels with the Oyo State Government.
But there’s a catch.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the gunmen reportedly refused to speak with families of the victims or community leaders. Their message was short and direct — they only want to negotiate with Governor Seyi Makinde.
“They said they want to speak only with the governor. Nobody else,” one source quietly revealed. “That was the condition they gave.”
For now, details of the discussion remain unclear. Nobody is certain what exactly the abductors are demanding, and officials are keeping conversations away from the public eye. Understandably too. People fear any leak could put the captives in more danger.
A senior source close to the matter admitted the development, though troubling, at least offered a little hope.
“It’s not like security agencies are helpless,” the source said. “But this kind of situation is delicate. The risk is high. The only relief now is that communication has started.”
The victims, including toddlers barely two and three years old, have now spent more than a week in captivity. That reality alone has left many families broken emotionally.
In affected communities, anxiety keeps rising by the day.
Residents say the children and teachers are allegedly being moved through thick forests and difficult terrains as security pressure increases. With the rainy season already setting in, many parents can hardly sleep.
One community leader, who asked not to be named, said nobody even knows the exact condition of the abducted children anymore.
“We are deeply worried. Small children are there. Two-year-olds,” he said. “We don’t know what they are eating or where they are sleeping.”
Across Ogbomoso and nearby towns like Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure and Dananu, schools have become unusually quiet. Some classrooms are almost empty. Others completely deserted.
Teachers told Reportersroom that attendance dropped sharply after news of the abduction spread. Then panic became worse after another scare earlier in the week when students reportedly spotted strange men around a bush near a school compound.
That moment triggered chaos.
Students ran in different directions. In the confusion, a pupil was hit by a vehicle and died instantly. Residents say the boy’s mother later died from shock after hearing the heartbreaking news. Since then, fear has swallowed the town.
“Things have not remained normal,” a teacher in the area said. “Parents are withdrawing their children early or refusing to send them at all.”
Another teacher described the emotional state of school workers as “terrible.”
“To be honest, many of us are traumatised already,” she said. “When teachers are being killed, how do you expect others not to be afraid?”
The fear became even heavier after reports confirmed that two teachers lost their lives during the crisis. One of them, former assistant headmaster Joel Adesiyan, was killed during the attack. Another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded while in captivity.
That particular news shook many people badly.
On Friday, tears flowed freely in Ogbomoso as Adesiyan was buried. Family members, teachers, church members and sympathisers struggled to hold back emotions during the funeral service held at Ayegun Baptist Church.
Representatives of the state government attended the service, promising that efforts were ongoing to rescue those still in captivity.
But despite those assurances, fear remains everywhere.
Some teachers now say they may stop reporting to remote schools entirely, at least for now. Parents are also demanding stronger security presence around schools, especially those close to forests and isolated roads.
Meanwhile, the family of the slain teacher, Oyedokun, revealed another painful detail — he died without a child after over 10 years of marriage.
According to relatives, the late teacher dedicated more than two decades of his life to education and remained deeply committed to his community till his death.
“The painful part is that he left no child behind,” a family spokesperson said. “He and his wife waited for years.”
The family also pleaded with Nigerians to stop reposting disturbing videos and images linked to his killing online, saying the clips continue to reopen emotional wounds.
As tension spreads across affected communities, many residents now wait anxiously for one thing — the safe return of the children and teachers still trapped in captivity.
