The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, has called for “careful, clinical, and timely” rescue of the kidnapped students and teachers of three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
While the Speaker noted the immediate on-the-spot assessment by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the deployment of forces for the rescue operation, he called for “speed and precision” in the rescue mission.
Speaker Abbas, who strongly condemned the attack on the schools, said the safety of the abductees must be prioritised while the kidnappers should not escape unpunished by the law.
Gunmen had last weekend attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where they abducted scores of teachers and students.
Governor Seyi Makinde said seven students were kidnapped from Community Grammar School, while 18 children and seven teachers were abducted from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School, adding that one person was killed during the attack.
The bandits later gruesomely killed one of the victims, a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun.
Speaker Abbas said it is more unfortunate that schools are being attacked at a time when the country is struggling to enroll its massive out-of-school children population.
While noting that educational institutions should be one of the safest places, the Speaker called for concerted efforts to protect schools and other facilities with vulnerable populations.
Speaker Abbas expressed his empathy to the families of the victims while praying to God for their successful rescue.