Oyo Kidnapping Crisis: Muslim Leaders Draw the Line on Sharia Demands

By: Abudu Olalekan

The Muslim community in Oyo State came out swinging this week. They’re rejecting the terrorists’ demands outright—especially the push for Sharia law. And they’re making one thing crystal clear: these criminals don’t speak for Islam. They don’t speak for Muslims. Period.

The statement hit different. Signed by community leaders Alhaji Ishaq Sanvni and Alhaji Murisiku Siyanbade, it was blunt: what the abductors are doing? It’s criminal. Full stop. “Islam forbids kidnapping, terrorism and extortion,” they said. “Legitimate Sharia promotes justice, peace and human life—not this.”

That’s the real issue here. The terrorists are hiding behind religion. And Muslims aren’t having it.

Schools Shut Down Across the State

Meanwhile, schools across Oyo’s 33 local government areas closed their doors Friday in solidarity. Both public and private institutions. The message was loud: we stand with the victims.

One memo we got our hands on said it plainly: “All pupils and students should stay at home until further notice.” The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools took it further, asking owners to document any disruptions and report them to police. This isn’t just a shutdown. It’s organized resistance.

The state’s teachers’ union made it official too—no schools reopen until those kids and teachers come home safe.

The Impossible Demands

Here’s what’s keeping everyone up at night. The abductors hit three schools in Esinele, Yawota and Alawusa on May 15. They grabbed teachers and pupils. Now they’re demanding:

Release of two detained terrorist commanders
Cash ransom
Two Hilux vehicles
Implementation of Sharia law
Those commanders? We’re talking about Mahmud Usman (Abu Bara’a) and Abubakar Abba (Mahmud Al-Nigeri). Both are tied to JAMBS—a Boko Haram splinter group. They’ve been sitting in federal custody since mid-2025, facing terrorism charges. They’re dangerous. Everyone knows it.

Government in a Bind

Security analysts we spoke with? They’re all over the place on this one.

Retired Brigadier-General Bashir Adewinbi put it bluntly: the government’s in a corner. “We cannot imagine the trauma those victims are going through,” he said. But here’s the trap—pay the ransom, and you’re funding their next attack. Release the commanders, and you’re basically inviting more kidnappings.

“The government is in a dilemma now,” Adewinbi admitted.

Peter Aro, another retired general, pushed for something else first: proof the hostages are alive. “Young children can’t survive 21 days in this heat,” he warned. That’s the reality. Time’s running out.

Then there’s Abdulrazaq Hamzat from the Foundation for Peace Professionals. His take? Don’t negotiate. Period. “Terrorism thrives on leverage,” he said. Give in, and you’re opening the floodgates. Other groups will see it worked. More kidnappings follow. More demands. It never ends.

But Lagos-based analyst Ayo Adegbenro sees it differently. “This is complex,” he said. “It’s rooted in collaboration from inside these communities.” He’s right. Someone always knows something. The locals know the terrain. That’s how this works.

What About Oyo State?

The state government? Radio silence. Commissioner Dotun Oyelade wouldn’t budge when we asked. “It’s unhelpful for us to discuss our strategy,” he said. Fair point, maybe. But people want answers.

Oba Tajudeen Abioye, the traditional ruler of Esiele, summed up what everyone’s feeling: “We’re helpless. We’re looking to the government for intervention.”

That’s where things stand. Families waiting. Schools closed. A community demanding answers. And a government quietly trying to figure out an impossible puzzle.