Fresh anxiety has gripped residents of Oyo State following reports that kidnappers holding scores of students and teachers abducted from Oriire Local Government Area have established contact with negotiators over ransom payment.
As reported by Vanguard, the victims, said to include 39 students and seven teachers from Ahoro Esinle community, have remained in captivity since the attack, which also claimed the life of a teacher identified as Michael Oyedokun.
Sources familiar with the rescue efforts disclosed that discussions were ongoing with the abductors, although details of the ransom being sought were being treated discreetly.
The delay in securing the release of the captives has reportedly sparked growing concern among relatives, who are mounting pressure on authorities to act swiftly.
It was gathered that security agencies, alongside the Oyo State Government, had intensified coordinated operations aimed at rescuing the victims alive.
Insiders revealed that aerial surveillance had been stepped up, with security operatives deploying helicopters and military aircraft to monitor suspected hideouts within forest areas linked to the criminals.
A government source maintained that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde remained committed to ensuring the safe return of the victims, insisting that no effort would be spared in the rescue mission.
Meanwhile, the family of the murdered teacher, Oyedokun Olugbade, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assist in recovering his remains for burial.
Through their counsel, Deji Adeyanju, the family urged the Federal Government to direct security agencies to intensify the search for the deceased’s body while working to free those still in captivity.
The incident has also reignited concerns over the country’s security framework, with political stakeholders calling for urgent reforms.
Members of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, including leaders of its Board of Trustees and interim National Working Committee, visited Ibadan to sympathise with the state government over the attack.
Speaking after the meeting, Kabiru Turaki criticised the current security structure, arguing that governors lacked operational control over security agencies despite their designation as chief security officers of their states.
According to him, bureaucratic delays in obtaining approvals from Abuja often hinder timely responses to security threats.
In a separate reaction, Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, said his security outfit, Iru Ekun Security Network, was prepared to work with conventional security agencies to combat criminal activities across the South-West once federal approval was granted.
He also pledged compliance with the executive order introduced by the Oyo State Government regulating private security operations.
Elsewhere, the Ondo Redemption Front criticised the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over what it described as worsening insecurity and inadequate governance in the state.
The group expressed concern over increasing cases of kidnapping and attacks on rural communities, warning that the growing insecurity was affecting farming activities and deepening hardship among residents.
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