Oyo Abduction: IGP Deploys More Detectives as Panic Spreads Across Ogbomoso

Oyo Abduction: IGP Deploys More Detectives as Panic Spreads Across Ogbomoso

IBADAN — The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has ordered the deployment of additional detectives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to Oyo State as security agencies intensify efforts to rescue abducted teachers and students from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.

The reinforcement comes amid growing panic across Ogbomoso and neighbouring communities following Friday’s coordinated attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School.

A senior police source disclosed that the newly deployed operatives would collaborate with joint security teams already conducting search-and-rescue operations across forest corridors and rural communities in the area.

“More detectives have been deployed from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with the joint security operatives already on the ground,” the source said.

“The kidnapped students and their teachers will soon breathe the air of freedom as the government and the relevant security agencies are leaving no stone unturned.”

According to the source, intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance and forest-combing operations had been intensified to ensure the victims were rescued unharmed.

“The security agencies will explore all opportunities to ensure that the students return safely to their parents. There is no cause for the parents and the people of the state to be apprehensive as the government is on top of the situation,” the source added.

Governor Seyi Makinde had earlier confirmed that seven students were abducted from Community Secondary School, while 18 children and seven teachers were kidnapped from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School during the attacks.

The governor also disclosed that one person was killed during the incident.

The attacks, which reportedly occurred around 9:30am on Friday, triggered widespread fear across Ogbomoso, with rumours of further bandit invasions spreading rapidly through schools and communities.

Panic Forces Parents to Withdraw Children

The tension caused many parents to rush to schools to withdraw their children, while some schools hurriedly shut down over fears of possible attacks.

A resident of Ogbomoso, Kazeem Abdullah, described scenes of panic as pupils and students fled classrooms after rumours circulated about armed bandits invading the town.

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“Many parents compounded the problem as they started rushing to their children’s schools to pick them up,” he said.

Reports also emerged from Ajaawa, headquarters of Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area, claiming that armed bandits had infiltrated nearby communities.

However, the Oyo State Police Command dismissed reports of bandit infiltration into Ogbomoso and surrounding areas, describing the development as a false alarm fueled by misinformation.

In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the command explained that the panic began after students spotted unfamiliar individuals near a school fence and mistakenly concluded they were bandits.

Police investigations later revealed that the individuals were a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, officer attached to the Kwara State Command and two civilians travelling in a Toyota Venza SUV.

“The individuals were questioned and explained that they had merely visited the lady among them in celebration of her birthday,” the statement said.

The command noted that a misunderstanding between some teachers and the visitors escalated suspicion, prompting students to spread unverified information to neighbouring schools and communities.

“Some students began spreading unverified claims to neighbouring schools and surrounding communities, thereby escalating panic and tension across parts of Ogbomoso and Ajaawa before the actual facts of the incident were established,” the police added.

The police assured residents that normal activities had resumed in affected areas, while patrols and visibility policing had been intensified to restore public confidence.

LAUTECH Dismisses Closure Rumours

Meanwhile, the management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, dismissed rumours claiming the institution had been shut down over fears of attacks by suspected bandits.

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In a statement, the institution’s Registrar, Olayinka Balogun, described the reports as false and misleading.

“This is to strongly debunk the rumour making the rounds that the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, has closed down the university for fear of invasion by bandits,” the statement read.

The university confirmed that academic activities, including ongoing examinations, were continuing normally.

Traditional Rulers Demand Military Base

As fear persists, traditional rulers from the five local government areas in Ogbomosoland have called on the Federal Government to establish a military base in Oriire Local Government Area to combat rising insecurity.

Speaking during a security meeting, the Alapa of Apa, Oba Akin Akintola, warned that attacks around forest communities had become increasingly sophisticated and beyond the capacity of conventional policing alone.

“We, the traditional rulers, are demanding immediate federal intervention, including the establishment of a military formation close to the forest reserve in Oriire Local Government Area,” the monarch said.

“If we have soldiers and artillery stationed there, it will provide protection for many communities in this zone.”

The monarch stressed that while police officers had made efforts, military deployment was necessary to secure rural communities and forest corridors vulnerable to kidnappers and armed gangs.

“South-West has now been infiltrated by bandits. We do not have the capacity or the wherewithal to confront these people ourselves. That is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to act urgently,” he added.

The royal fathers also warned that worsening insecurity could threaten farming activities, displace rural residents and discourage participation in future elections if urgent measures were not taken.

Oyo Abduction: IGP Deploys More Detectives as Panic Spreads Across Ogbomoso