Oyo governor receives inquiry report into school abductions

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has received a report into the abduction of pupils and teachers from three schools in Oriire Community and promised to examine its recommendations. The report was presented on Tuesday by the chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, retired Justice Mojeed Owoade, at the governor’s office in Ibadan. Makinde said confidentiality would not be used to avoid accountability and described the attack as a test of the state’s security arrangements.

The commission was established after a May 15, 2026, bandit attack on Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. According to the source, 39 pupils and seven teachers were abducted and held for 56 days in Old Oyo National Park before their release on July 10.

Two teachers, Michael Oyedokun and Adesiyan Adegboye, died during the incident. Makinde praised the agencies and local security groups involved in the rescue, but said freeing the victims could not be the only measure of success. The governor said the inquiry was intended to establish how the attack occurred, what information was available, how institutions responded and whether intelligence, administrative or operational failures contributed.

He said its findings would inform decisions and the assignment of responsibilities. Owoade said the commission visited the crime scenes and affected schools and held public hearings in Ikoyi-Ile, Ogbomoso and Ibadan. It heard evidence from 72 witnesses, including victims, traditional rulers, civil society groups, experts and other stakeholders.

He said the recommendations covered the state government, local governments, joint federal-state action and the Federal Government. A major recommendation, he said, was a review of the laws and management of forest reserves, particularly Old Oyo National Park, which is federally controlled. Makinde said children’s safety would be the test of any changes that followed.