House of Representatives Asks Federal Government to Rescue Abducted Ogbomoso Schoolchildren Without Further Delay

The House of Representatives has called on the federal government to rescue the abducted Ogbomoso schoolchildren and tutors without further delay. The resolution was passed during plenary on Tuesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Olamijuwonlo Alao Akala, the lawmaker representing Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, and Oriire federal constituency of Oyo State. 

The victims were kidnapped on May 15 after gunmen attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso, all located in Oriire Local Government Area, with at least 45 schoolchildren and teachers abducted during the attack. Last week, President Bola Tinubu directed the deployment of a specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities to secure the release of the kidnapped pupils and tutors.

Moving the motion, Alao Akala condemned the killing of mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, by the abductors, describing the beheading as a barbaric and savage act that warrants an immediate and decisive response from every arm of government. He stated that while lawmakers sit in the comfort of the chamber, mothers in Oriire are sleepless, fathers are broken, and children still in the hands of their captors are crying out for a rescue that has not yet come, with every passing hour bringing unbearable agony to families who do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead. 

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Other lawmakers asked the government to create a special force to protect schools nationwide and also urged the parliament to conclude the constitutional process of establishing state police. The motion was unanimously adopted after Speaker Tajudeen Abbas called for a voice vote. Consequently, the parliament asked the federal government to establish a permanent military base in the area to tackle the activities of banditry across the Oyo National Park and its environs.