Residents of Ogbomoso in Oyo State staged a protest on Monday, calling for the swift rescue of schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped on May 15.
The demonstration came after an earlier mass protest in Ibadan, the state capital, over the continued captivity of the victims.
An elderly woman, who said her children were among those kidnapped, led a group of youths in a protest in Ogbomoso.
The visibly distraught woman, wearing a pink hijab, broke down in tears as she pleaded for the release of the victims.
“Please, have mercy on me. The children have a bright future. Government, please help us and intervene in this matter. I have cried and cried,” the woman said in Yoruba.
“Where will I start from? The children are my tomorrow. They are my hope. Please help me. May you also not weep over your children.”
In a video of the protest seen by Chronicle NG, the woman carried a placard bearing the inscription, “Bring Them Back Home Safe.”
“My children are among those abducted. I have fasted and am still fasting, but there is no positive result,” she said.
A woman who also joined the protest lamented that the victims had now spent 18 days in captivity without any breakthrough.
“Rain, sun, everything has kept beating them there. Yet those in government sleep well in their beds. You have no fear of God at all,” she said.
One of the male protesters said their demand was nothing but the safe return of the victims.
“We need quick intervention from the Oyo State Government. We don’t know who will be in this situation tomorrow,” he said.
Protest in Ibadan
The emotional scenes were not limited to Ogbomoso. During the protest in Ibadan, a female tricycle operator caught in the resulting traffic gridlock was overwhelmed with emotion as she appealed to authorities to rescue the victims.
In another viral video, the woman repeatedly broke down in tears, resting her head on the steering wheel of her tricycle as she pleaded for government intervention.
“I am using this medium to appeal to the government to have mercy on us parents. They should please help us rescue these children,” she said, gesticulating with both hands in distress before placing them on her head.
“They should please, and please, save us.”
Her plea comes amid growing public concern over the recent wave of kidnappings in the state.
On Sunday, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) declared an indefinite strike in the state, demanding the urgent rescue of the abducted victims and improved security measures.
In a circular dated May 29, 2026, and signed by Audu Amba, NUT president, and Clinton Ikpitibo, secretary-general, the union directed all state chapters to hold solidarity rallies nationwide on Tuesday.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the state wing of the union, signed by Salami Olukayode, confirmed full compliance with the directive.
The development follows the May 15 abduction of about 39 students and seven teachers across three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
During the attack, an assistant headmaster and a motorcyclist were killed.
Days later, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded by the kidnappers, triggering nationwide outrage.
In separate videos posted on Instagram, Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele, who is also among those abducted, said the kidnappers had threatened to kill another victim and urged authorities to negotiate urgently for their release.
On Saturday, Seyi Makinde visited families of the victims in affected communities, while a federal delegation led by Femi Gbajabiamila and Nuhu Ribadu visited Ogbomoso on Sunday.
President Bola Tinubu has also directed the deployment of a specialised security unit with advanced rescue capabilities to secure the release of the victims.
