Oyo Abduction: Sowore Issues Tinubu Ultimatum, Threatens to Occupy Aso Rock

Omoyele Sowore

Oyo Abduction: Sowore Issues Tinubu Ultimatum, Threatens to Occupy Aso Rock

ABUJA – Human rights activist and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) , Omoyele Sowore, has threatened to lead a mass protest to occupy the Presidential Villa in Abuja if the Federal Government fails to secure the release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State.

In a strongly worded post on X on Sunday, Sowore issued a direct ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs, demanding swift action to rescue the victims who have been in captivity since May 15, 2026.

“If Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his service chiefs fail to track down and secure the release of the abducted Oyo schoolchildren and other kidnapped people, we will have no choice but to occupy Aso Rock Villa this week!” Sowore wrote.

The activist described the ongoing kidnapping crisis as “the new political business in Nigeria” and questioned why children had become targets for criminal groups. He accused the government of failing to protect citizens and warned that public anger was growing over repeated attacks on schools and communities across the country.

Gunmen attacked three schools simultaneously in the rural communities of Ahoro-Esin-Ile, Yawota, and Alawusa in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, 2026. The targeted schools included Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. The attackers, numbering about 12, came on motorcycles and struck around 9:30 a.m., abducting no fewer than 46 schoolchildren and teachers.

During the attack, an assistant head teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded. A commercial motorcyclist was also killed after refusing to surrender his motorcycle. The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) condemned the beheading, with National President Bishop Francis Wale Oke stating: “Our hearts are bleeding. We watched with horror the video released by the perpetrators, showing our brother—a devoted educator—bound, humiliated, and beheaded.”

READ ALSO:

The abducted principal of Community Grammar School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, has made emotional appeals from captivity, begging President Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to prioritise negotiation over the use of force.

Sowore has been highly critical of President Tinubu’s handling of the security crisis, describing the president as failing to take decisive action despite recurring mass abductions across the country. He noted that following killings in Plateau State, Tinubu promised to deploy 5,000 AI-enabled surveillance cameras, yet violence continues. After the Oyo abduction, the president announced plans to deploy 1,000 forest guards, “yet kidnappings persist,” he argued.

The activist said he was prepared to mobilise Nigerians to occupy the Presidential Villa if urgent action was not taken to rescue the victims. “We are going to Aso Rock if these children are not rescued,” he said, adding that citizens could no longer remain silent while kidnappings continued across the country.

Sowore’s proposed “Occupy Aso Rock” protest appears aimed at increasing pressure on the Federal Government to intensify efforts toward rescuing the victims and tackling the wider problem of kidnapping across the country. He has been involved in several protests and campaigns on governance and human rights issues and has frequently criticised authorities over their handling of security matters.

The abduction has triggered widespread concern and condemnation from political leaders, activists, community groups, and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), which has directed all public primary and secondary school teachers in Oyo State to embark on an indefinite strike beginning Monday, June 1, 2026, over the continued captivity of their colleagues and students. The NUT has also ordered its state wings nationwide to stage solidarity rallies on Tuesday, June 2, to demand the unconditional release of the abducted victims. The union expressed deep concern over what it described as the “horrifying, inhumane and traumatic conditions” being endured by the abducted teachers and students.