Public primary and secondary schools across Oyo State were shut on Monday as teachers commenced a nationwide protest over the continued captivity of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Ahoro-Esienle and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area, triggering coordinated demonstrations in Oyo and neighbouring Ogun states, and intensifying calls for urgent government action on insecurity.
The shutdown followed a directive by the Nigeria Union of Teachers for solidarity rallies nationwide, amid mounting public anger over the May 15 attack in which armed men stormed Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele and Yawota, abducting pupils and teachers and holding them for more than two weeks.
Academic activities were suspended across Oyo’s 33 local government areas as parents, residents, and civil society groups demanded the immediate release of the victims.
Protests spread across Ibadan, Ogbomoso and Ibarapa axis, with teachers and residents taking to the streets to press for decisive security intervention.
In Ogbomoso, a grieving mother broke down publicly, pleading for mercy and the rescue of her children among those kidnapped, as protesters described the ordeal of young pupils exposed to harsh conditions in the bush.
Demonstrators said the action was peaceful but necessary to draw attention to the suffering of families and the wider threat to education.
Across Ibadan neighbourhoods, including Moniya, Ojoo, Agbowo, Bodija, Sango, Beere, Oja’ba, Molete, Orita Challenge, and Oluyole areas, pupils who had prepared for school were turned back after news of the strike filtered through.
Parents said they learned of the shutdown through radio broadcasts and community alerts, expressing concern over the prolonged captivity and the psychological toll on families.
In the state capital, members of the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society organisations staged a peaceful march, carrying placards calling for an end to kidnapping and improved security for students, farmers and traders.
Security operatives were deployed to strategic locations during the demonstrations as protesters warned that public patience was wearing thin.
In Ogun State, residents of Abeokuta also protested, citing rising insecurity and its impact on daily life and business. Protest leaders urged the Federal Government to intensify rescue efforts and restore public confidence, warning that no social class was immune if kidnappings continued unchecked.
Teachers are expected to converge on state government secretariats nationwide on Tuesday as the union escalates its action with simultaneous rallies in all 36 state capitals. The mobilisation follows a May 29 circular from the union’s national leadership mandating state chapters to organise solidarity protests to spotlight the worsening security situation around schools.
In Lagos, teachers are set to assemble at Ikeja Bus Stop before marching to the Alausa Secretariat, while counterparts in Oyo will gather at the Nigeria Labour Congress secretariat in Ibadan.
Union leaders said schools would remain open in most states, except Oyo where authorities ordered a temporary closure, arguing that a nationwide shutdown would undermine access to education for children from poorer backgrounds.
Civil society groups from the North-East also weighed in, accusing the Federal Government of double standards and urging equal urgency for school abductions nationwide.
Community organisations in Ogbomosoland condemned the attacks and called for intensified rescue operations, while youth groups welcomed plans to strengthen internal security but urged swift implementation to prevent further attacks on schools.
