By Femi Oyelola
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is facing its most serious security challenge yet, as residents of Oyo, Borno, Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina compare new promises to the harsh realities on the ground, following the abduction of at least 82 pupils and teachers. This event has sparked a national debate over school and rural-area safety.
The crisis began between May 13 and May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked two regions within 48 hours. In Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, armed men on motorcycles raided Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, kidnapping between 39 and 46 students and staff, and killing an assistant headmaster and a math teacher.
Hours later, suspected Boko Haram militants raided Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Mussa-Biri, Askira Uba LGA, Borno State, kidnapping 42 students near the Sambisa Forest.
The Federal Ministry of Education condemned both attacks as “tragic and unacceptable,” with Minister Maruf Alausa promising that the government would coordinate with security forces to ensure the safe return of all children. He reiterated the government’s commitment to the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools, stating, “No child should face fear or violence in pursuit of education.”
On Children’s Day, President Tinubu addressed Nigerians directly, stating that the abducted pupils and teachers “should be with their families, but are being held captive by criminals.” He pledged to enhance intelligence-led rescue efforts and ordered security agencies to maintain pressure on the kidnappers until every child is freed.
The response was immediate in Oyo. Classrooms in Ogbomoso, Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure, and Dananu emptied as teachers and parents stayed home. “All the schools, both private and public, in Ogbomoso have been empty since Monday,” said a teacher at Ikose Primary School, describing panic following the Esinele attack and a false alarm at Areago Grammar School that resulted in one pupil’s death.
In the North-West, reports from Oyo and Borno have intensified existing worries in Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina. Although banditry has continued for years, residents say they are now paying close attention to see if Tinubu’s new security plan will offer genuine protection beyond Abuja and the state capitals to villages and school compounds.
“We hear about new equipment and budgets, but on our farms and roads, we still move with fear,” said a trader in Katsina who requested anonymity. In Zamfara’s Gusau, a community leader observed that military operations have destroyed some bandit camps, but revenge kidnappings for ransom go on. “We need intelligence from the grassroots, not just from Abuja,” he stated.
President Tinubu has responded with policy changes aimed at decentralizing security. During a Federal Executive Council meeting, he authorized the arming of forest guards nationwide to fight banditry, kidnapping, and illegal mining in rural areas connecting Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina. “The civil defense is equally armed. NSA should arm our forest guards, too. Take it very seriously,” he ordered.
Security experts say that the forest guard reform could fill gaps if executed properly. Analysts highlight that the forests across Zamfara, Katsina, and southern Kaduna have served as hideouts for armed groups. Empowering trained, coordinated local guards, they argue, could improve early warning systems and quick response in communities with limited police presence.
The government has supported this strategy with funding and equipment. The 2026 Appropriation Bill allocates N5.41 trillion to Defense and Security, marking the largest budget line for the third consecutive year. Tinubu told lawmakers, “We will show no mercy” to terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, linking the spending to accountability and results.
Operational capacity is also being enhanced. The federal government reports that it has refurbished over 100 armored fighting vehicles and inducted new helicopters into the Nigerian Army Aviation. A central security coordination center under the President’s oversight now integrates intelligence, military, police, and diplomatic agencies for real-time decision-making.
Tinubu declared a national security emergency and ordered the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers. He also urged the National Assembly to legalize state police, calling it “unavoidable” for states like Kaduna and Zamfara, which face unique security threats and large areas of ungoverned territory.
Civil society groups are cautiously reviewing these measures. The Child Protection Network condemned the Oyo and Borno kidnappings and called for immediate rescue, warning that long-term captivity traumatizes children and drives them out of school. “Schools must never become theatres of fear,” the group stated, echoing parents in Katsina, Katsina, where schools were targeted in the past.
Teachers’ unions have added their voices. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ibadan Zone, urged Tinubu and South-West governors to prevent bandits from infiltrating the region and to stop mass abductions. In Kaduna, teachers’ forums say the Safe Schools Initiative must shift from policy papers to armed guards, surveillance, and safe access roads.
The Yoruba Council of Elders warned that the South-West “cannot afford to become the next frontier of mass abduction” and called for the immediate deployment of special forces. Afenifere expressed horror over systematic school targeting in Oyo and linked it to recent raids in Ogun, Ekiti, Kwara, and Ondo, questioning regional surveillance.
President Tinubu has connected security to economic recovery, telling Katsina elders that “investment is cowardly, and it will not go where there is banditry and terrorism.” He promised to “take over the forests” in the North-West using advanced surveillance and drones, and said the federal government would partner with states and local councils to reclaim territory.
He cited progress in Kebbi, where the Argungu International Fishing Festival was held safely after years of insecurity. “The peace citizens are witnessing in the North-West is not accidental. It is the result of sustained investment in security, intelligence gathering, and community engagement,” he said at the festival.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has tempered optimism, warning that gains against insurgency are “not a final victory.” He urged deeper investment in military capacity, intelligence, and civil-military cooperation, noting that militants have increased attacks on bases in the North-East this year.
For families of the abducted, policy debates mean little until children return home. Tinubu promised that rescued victims would receive medical care, counseling, education, and dignity. “A child who returns from trauma must return to care,” he said, linking security strategy to long-term human development.
As of press time, security forces in Oyo have intensified search operations in Oriire and neighboring Kwara forests, while troops in Borno are searching areas around Askira Uba. The Police Schools Protection Squad is leading joint search-and-rescue efforts alongside local vigilantes.
Across Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina, citizens say their assessment of the administration will be based on results, not promises. “We want to believe the forest guards, the drones, the new vehicles will work for us,” a Katsina parent said. “But until our roads are safe and our children can learn without fear, our verdict remains ‘work in progress’.”
With the school term disrupted and farming season underway, the coming weeks will test whether Tinubu’s renewed security doctrine can deliver measurable relief. For millions of Nigerians, the demand is simple and urgent: turn strategy into safety, and promises into protection that reaches every classroom, highway, and village.
