Seyi Makinde has confirmed that seven teachers were abducted during the recent attack on schools in the Oriire area of Oyo State, while authorities are still working to establish the exact number of missing pupils.
Speaking to journalists on Sunday after meeting service commanders and heads of security agencies, the governor described the incident as a grave security challenge and warned that armed groups displaced by military offensives in north-western Nigeria were increasingly moving southward.
An Islamic Studies teacher was killed during the attack, Makinde said, adding that security operatives had arrested six suspects within the affected communities as well as three additional persons of interest linked to the kidnapping.
“With the pressure on the terrorists and the bandits in the North-West, they will keep moving southward,” the governor said.
Makinde said intelligence reports suggested some of those arrested may have acted as informants for the attackers, helping to facilitate the assault on the schools.
“The information available is that about six individuals have been arrested within the locality. Some of them we believe are informants. Also, three individuals of interest have been arrested,” he said.
The governor warned that states outside the main conflict zones could become increasingly vulnerable if security agencies failed to anticipate the movement of armed groups fleeing military operations elsewhere.
“But the problem that we have is when you have pressure in one place, we must be prepared on this side to either repel or neutralise any terrorists fleeing the pressure points,” he added.
Makinde said the state government would not depend solely on military force in responding to the crisis, stressing that consultations were ongoing with community, traditional and religious leaders, including officials of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, which owns one of the affected schools.
“We have decided that we will adopt not just a kinetic approach. We are engaging leaders, elders and religious leaders, especially at the Baptist Convention,” he said.
Appealing for calm, the governor assured families of the abducted victims that rescue efforts were continuing and pledged that the state would intensify coordination with security agencies to secure their release.
“We are not taking this lightly. We will do everything within our means to resolve this quickly and bring our children back safely,” he said.
Describing the attack as “very difficult and challenging”, Makinde also announced that the state government would begin daily press briefings to provide residents with updates on the rescue operation and wider security efforts.
