Kidnapped victims of the Oyo State school abduction have denied claims that the kidnappers are requesting the release of some arrested terrorists and the implementation of sharia law in the south-west.
Barely 25 days after the abduction of over 40 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, residents of Ogbomoso protested in large numbers on Monday to demand the release of those in captivity.
This comes as the abducted principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, Mrs Rachael Alamu, begged Nigerians not to allow the government to deceive the world by claiming that bandits requested Sharia law to be enshrined in the country in order to be released.
The abduction occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, around 9:30 a.m., and those kidnapped have been held captive ever since.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers has called for a strike in the state until the kidnapped victims are rescued, and protests were held nationwide last week.
On Monday, hundreds of Ogbomoso citizens stopped both main highways and state roads, creating artificial bottlenecks along the impacted routes.
One of the demonstrators, Kehinde Dahunsi, asked, “What will it take for both the central and state governments to rescue our loved ones since May 15? ” This is pathetic.
“The former minister of power Bayo Adelabu’s biological sister and her twin children (Peter and Paul), as heard on radio and television stations and read in the pages of newspapers, were kidnapped in the early hours on Wednesday, June 3, and were rescued on Saturday, June 6, 2026. Just a three-day interval.
“But our people have been in captivity for 25 days now. Why shouldn’t governments also apply the same mechanism used to rescue the ex-minister’s sister and her two sons to rescue our family members?” he lamented.
In the now-viral video, Alamu, in a distress call from the kidnappers‘ hideout, begs Nigerians to share the footage and not politicise their lives.
She said in the video, “Good day, everyone. Please, I have come to make some clarifications.
“Today makes it the 24th day that we have been in this place. And it seems that some people are making our problems complicated already.
“We were shown some print media where it was stated that these people that abducted us requested the release of some people. They requested a billion naira; they requested that Sharia be enshrined in the country. These are not true. They are just trying to create a problem for us.
“We have been here since; we have not been forced to worship in an Islamic way. We have been left alone. They have not troubled us concerning that. They are not asking for Sharia law; they are not asking for money.
“The single thing they are looking for is the release of some of their people. I don’t know why they are peddling this rumour to make it complicated for us.
“Please, we are begging you, please, don’t play politics with our lives. Nigerians, please help us to circulate this; let it go viral.
“They are not asking for Sharia law. It’s not true. They are not asking for weapons; they are not asking for money. All they want is the release of some people, and the government should negotiate with them and know those whom they will release for them.
“I don’t know why they are playing politics with our lives. Please, Nigerians, our lives are in your hands. Please, help us make it go viral. Don’t let the government deceive the whole world.”
