Senator Abdulfatai Buhari told journalists Wednesday that the kidnappers who seized schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State tied as many as eight children together on a motorcycle and rode them into a nearby forest — the first public description of how the victims were moved after the 15 May abductions.
People searching for an "oyo kidnapping update" have a new, disturbing detail: Buhari said the abductors not only bundled children onto motorcycles, they were armed and filmed the operation as they escorted pupils and teachers deep into the trees, and the victims have now been held since 15 May.
Buhari described the method in blunt terms: "When they were taking the children away, six, seven or eight children, they would tie them back to each other. One person would be in front of the Okada, another one would be at the back of the Okada with a machine gun. You can see that terrifying situation. And they were videoing themselves and releasing it." He said those scenes explain how 49 people — pupils, teachers and a toddler — were moved from three schools in Orire Local Government Area, including Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, the Community Grammar School, and the L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esinele.
Among the victims was Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher who was beheaded by the kidnappers, a fact that has intensified pressure on authorities and prompted the Nigeria Union of Teachers to begin an indefinite strike on 1 June demanding the return of the captives.
The government response has been significant but not decisive: President Bola Tinubu approved the deployment of 1,000 forest guards to support search operations, and police and military helicopters have conducted surveillance over the forest. Buhari said security agencies have identified and, more recently, narrowed the general area where the kidnappers are hiding — yet, crucially, the abducted remain in captivity.
That contradiction sits at the heart of the crisis. Buhari warned rescuers to be tactical, arguing that rushed tactics could kill children: "The issue now is that some people are saying they should put a powder. Probably the powder will make them sleep. Two years, three years, four years, children who are there, if they put that powder and they sniff it, they may not wake up again. So what are you rescuing?" His point: authorities may know the area, but knowing a forested zone is not the same as being able to extract children safely.
Security officials say the abductors were armed with machine guns and that clips of the operation were released by the captors, adding urgency to the hunt. Outside the capital, educators have kept pressure on the government: Yusuf Ibn-Tom travelled to Government House in Borno State to urge officials to do more to secure learning and rescue captives, saying teachers and parents must be able to work without fear.
What happens next remains the story’s open question. Security forces have intensified patrols and forest operations, but there is no confirmed rescue date and no public account of where, exactly, the 49 are being held. Until authorities convert the narrowed search area into a clear plan that ensures the captives’ safety, families will still be waiting on proof that an Oyo kidnapping update has become a rescue.
