Atiku’s Aide Demands Probe of Igboho Over Claim He Knows Politicians Sponsoring Kidnappers

Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho

Atiku’s Aide Demands Probe of Igboho Over Claim He Knows Politicians Sponsoring Kidnappers

The media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mr Paul Ibe, has called on the Department of State Services and other security agencies to invite Yoruba nation campaigner, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, to disclose the identities of politicians he alleged are sponsoring kidnappers responsible for the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State.

Ibe made the call on Thursday in a post on X (formerly Twitter), arguing that security agencies should take advantage of any credible information capable of aiding efforts to rescue the victims and dismantle criminal networks behind the attacks. His intervention followed recent comments by Igboho during a meeting with members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at his residence in the Soka area of Ibadan, where the activist claimed he knew the politicians allegedly backing kidnappers operating in parts of the South-West.

According to Igboho, the kidnappers were not invincible and could be dislodged if decisive action was taken against them. “If I am permitted to burst into the hideouts, they will flee. They are neither gnomes nor mannequins; they are humans, so they can be dislodged. I know the politicians behind them, and if they do not stop perpetrating their evil acts, I will mention them all. I know them. The politicians behind them are the ones giving them ammunition and money,” he said. The activist further alleged that political actors were sponsoring insecurity to destabilise the country, adding that similar tactics were previously used against former President Goodluck Jonathan and were now being targeted at President Bola Tinubu. “The same thing they did to Jonathan is what they are doing to Tinubu. They want to make the country ungovernable for him,” Igboho stated.

Reacting to Igboho’s claims, Ibe said security agencies should immediately engage him if he indeed possessed information that could assist ongoing investigations. “Since Sunday Igboho claims to know those behind the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire, Oyo State, I think that the State Security Service and other security agencies need to invite him to release those names to them. Every option should be on the table to fast-track the safe release of the school children and teachers,” he said. Ibe also broadened the conversation to the wider insecurity challenges confronting the country, questioning what he described as the Federal Government’s muted response to the reported abduction of more than 50 schoolchildren in Mussa, Borno State, on the same day – May 15, 2026.

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Drawing a comparison between the official response to the incidents in Oyo and Borno states, Ibe asked: “By the way, who knows those behind the abduction of over 50 school children in Mussa, Borno State, on May 15, 2026? Why is Tinubu and his government mute over the Borno abduction? Are those school children not Nigerians? When will the Commander-in-Chief and Consoler-in-Chief send a delegation to Mussa as he did in the case of Oriire? When will Borno and other vulnerable states get their own forest guards? Why wait for a tragedy to occur before the Tinubu government takes action to stem insecurity in our country?”

During his meeting with NANS executives led by Akinteye Babatunde, Igboho claimed he had volunteered to help dislodge the abductors but was prevented by the Oyo State Government. According to him, state officials later informed him that the kidnappers had threatened to kill the captives if he attempted any independent rescue operation. “Later, they (Oyo government) informed me that the kidnappers said if I try to force myself to come rescue the children, they will kill them all,” Igboho said. He further alleged that he had organised a security network known as “Iru Ekun,” claiming that while the federal government had given approval, the Oyo State Government opposed its operation. “After I arranged ‘Iru Ekun’ security network, the federal government permitted me, but the state government said no security must take a step behind them,” he stated.

Igboho has been actively pursuing federal approval for his proposed security outfit, code-named “Iru Ekun Security Network,” which he says is designed to strengthen local security operations and protect forests across the South-Western region amid rising security concerns. In a statement on May 25, the activist revealed that all necessary documents and operational procedures required for the registration of the security outfit had already been submitted to the Federal Government. “We have submitted all the required documents for our registered security firm, Iru Ekun Security Network, and are only awaiting Federal Government approval, which we believe will be granted soon,” he said. Igboho expressed readiness to collaborate with security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, to strengthen efforts against insecurity in the South-West.

The remarks by both Igboho and Ibe come against the backdrop of the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, 2026, a development that has renewed fears about the spread of kidnapping and insecurity into communities traditionally considered safer than some of the country’s conflict-prone regions. According to reports, armed men stormed three schools in Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area, abducting pupils and teachers and plunging families into weeks of anguish. The affected institutions included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele. One of the abducted teachers, Mr Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by his captors, deepening public outrage and calls for stronger security measures. The attack has become one of the most significant school abductions in recent years, reviving painful memories of the Chibok and Dapchi kidnappings and raising fresh concerns about the safety of schools across the country.

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On the same day as the Oriire attack – Friday, May 15, 2026 – terrorists also struck in Borno State, abducting schoolchildren from the Mussa community in Askira Uba Local Government Area. According to the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Isma’ila Mamza II, 48 people were taken from the Mussa community, including 37 primary school pupils, six secondary school students, and five other residents. The United Nations has since demanded the immediate and safe release of all abducted school children and teachers, describing the incidents as threats to education and child protection. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, lamented the abductions, stressing that the school environment is meant for learning purposes and must be kept safe at all costs. “The UN Resident Coordinator is deeply saddened that these school children and their teachers are still being held by armed groups. Schools must remain safe havens for learning and not places of fear. Children should never be a target,” he said. Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum has since visited Uba town to console the families of the abducted children, assuring residents that every possible effort was being made to secure the safe return of the victims.

The abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area has sparked widespread outrage across the country, prompting condemnation from the Senate, coordinated nationwide protests by teachers, and renewed calls by lawmakers for comprehensive reforms to Nigeria’s security architecture. The protest took place in the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Osun, Lagos, Niger, and several other states. The nationwide reaction came as the Senate resumed plenary after the Sallah recess and observed a one-minute silence in honour of two teachers and a pupil killed in connection with the attack. In Ibadan, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde described the abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area as a moment of national distress requiring unity, not political blame. Addressing protesters led by the NUT, Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, and National Association of Nigerian Students, Makinde said government efforts to rescue the victims were ongoing.

While security agencies have yet to publicly respond to either Igboho’s allegations or Ibe’s call for an investigation, the comments are likely to intensify pressure on authorities to investigate claims of political sponsorship of criminal groups and secure the release of victims still in captivity. Over the past decade, Nigeria has witnessed a series of mass abductions targeting schools, particularly in northern states, prompting repeated calls for stronger intelligence gathering, improved community policing, and enhanced protection for vulnerable communities. The latest exchange has once again brought national attention to the issue of school safety and the persistent threat posed by kidnapping gangs across different parts of the country.