Parents in Oriire Fear Kids May Not Resume Classes Following 56-Day Ordeal in Captivity

The traumatic experience of 56 days in captivity has made many parents and relatives of pupils abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State hesitant to send their children back to the affected schools, despite their successful rescue, as reported by Adeola Badru in IBADAN.

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The abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when terrorists stormed Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esiele; Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; and L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esiele, near Ogbomoso, abducting 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a school principal, and taking them into nearby forests, particularly around the Old Oyo National Park.

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During their 56-day captivity, two teachers were killed, while the remaining victims were later rescued by security forces and reunited with their families, leaving many families with deep emotional scars.

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As a result, many families are considering alternative schools for their children, citing the need for convincing security guarantees before they can comfortably allow their children to return to the affected schools, with some relatives indicating that they would rather enrol their children in other schools than expose them to another traumatic experience.

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According to Fausat Akindele, a relative of one of the abducted children, the incident has permanently changed many parents’ perception of the schools’ safety, saying "What happened has changed everything for us, we thank God that our children are back, but the fear is still there."

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Basirat Adigun, another family member, echoed similar sentiments, stating that the ordeal had created deep anxiety among parents, saying "No parent wants to take any risk after what these children went through, we appreciate the efforts that brought them back, but we need to see concrete security measures around the schools and the communities before we can think of returning them."

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Adenike, whose elder sister’s children were among those abducted, emphasized that the children’s emotional well-being must come before any decision on returning them to school, saying "Although education remains important, the emotional well-being of the children and my sister’s confidence in their safety must come first before any decision is made on their return to the school."

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The Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, acknowledged that the parents’ fears were understandable given the emotional trauma they had endured, saying "It is understandable if parents do not want to send their children back to those schools, as human beings, the emotional trauma which they have undergone will ordinarily not allow them to freely release their children to further their education because of the nightmare."

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Mr. Oyelade noted that many parents might opt to transfer their children to other schools despite the inconvenience, saying "Many parents may be willing to bear the considerable logistical inconvenience of transferring their children to other schools, but they would be comfortable dealing with that, as a government, we understand what they have gone through for 56 nightmarish days."

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The state government has already begun implementing interventions to improve infrastructure in the affected schools, according to Mr. Oyelade, who said "The state government has already taken steps and mapped out further interventions, we will provide the infrastructure, which is our mandate, through the Ministry of Education to promote the welfare and well-being of all citizens, the process has started."

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Mr. Oyelade emphasized the importance of collaboration between the state and federal governments in addressing the parents’ concerns, saying "Security is primarily the responsibility of the Federal Government, if both levels of government work in tandem, we should overcome the initial and understandable fears and anxieties of these parents."