Teachers Day: NUT Honours Oriire Victims

The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State Wing, has dedicated its 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration to the teachers and pupils abducted during the May 15 attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.

The state NUT Chairman, Hassan Ajibola Fatai, made this known on Monday at the World Teachers’ Day celebration held at the Islamic High School Multipurpose Hall, Orita Basorun, Ibadan North Local Government Area.

Fatai said the union was observing the occasion with mixed feelings because of the ordeal suffered by teachers and learners caught up in the attack, describing the affected victims as heroes and heroines of the education struggle in Oyo State.

The celebration was held under the theme, “Standing With Teachers: 60 Years of Protecting the Profession, Advancing its Status and Shaping our Futures,” with teachers, education administrators, government representatives, labour leaders and other stakeholders in attendance.

More than 40 pupils and teachers were abducted from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, L.A. Primary School, Yawota, and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esiele, during the May 15 attack.

The victims spent 56 days in captivity before joint security forces secured their release on July 10 through an intelligence-led operation against the criminal network responsible for the abduction.

The rescue operation involved personnel from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force, DSS, NIA, NSCDC, Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes.

The Nigerian Army said the operation focused on dismantling the abductors’ networks, logistics channels and hideouts within the Old Oyo National Park and other locations, with several suspects arrested during the sustained security operation.

The NUT chairman said the union would honour surviving victims with its Heroes and Heroines Award, while also supporting families of teachers who lost their lives during the incident and maintaining solidarity with the affected pupils.

Among those honoured were the Principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, Mrs Rachael Alamu Folawe, Vice Principal Ojo Jonathan Adebayo, Olatunde Olutoye Zacchaeus, Oladeji Jelilat Oluwakemi and Daunting Mary Temitope of Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota.

Fatai commended Governor Seyi Makinde, Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal, Commissioner for Education Segun Olayiwola, TESCOM Chairperson Olubukola Oladipo, Special Adviser on Education Intervention Suraj Tiamy and other stakeholders for their roles in the rescue and survival efforts.

The NUT also acknowledged the efforts of security agencies and other stakeholders whose coordinated intervention eventually secured the victims’ freedom after weeks of captivity.

The union had earlier described the victims’ safe return as a victory for humanity and called for sustained efforts to make schools and surrounding communities safer for teachers and learners.

Fatai nevertheless used the occasion to present fresh demands to the Oyo State Government, including full implementation of the Safe School Programme, integration of 135 teachers into the TESCOM employment structure and approval of inter-local government transfers for some teachers appointed in 2005.

Other demands included greater administrative flexibility on conversion and career progression, prompt release of grants to school heads and payment of outstanding 2025 leave allowances.

The union also urged the government to sustain improvements in teachers’ welfare and working conditions, while calling for stronger protection for educational institutions across the state.

The call for stronger school security comes against the backdrop of the NUT’s earlier decision to withdraw teachers from public schools in Oyo State after the Oriire abduction, with the union citing fears over the safety of educators and learners.

The significance of this year’s commemoration was further underscored by the personal account of Rachael Alamu, who said the abductors repeatedly forced captives to trek through dense forests at night whenever they suspected that security forces were closing in on them.

Alamu said the captives sometimes walked for three to four hours at night, while older pupils helped carry younger children as the group moved from one location to another to evade security forces.

The NUT’s decision to dedicate the celebration to the victims therefore placed school safety at the centre of this year’s commemoration, with the union stressing that teachers cannot effectively perform their professional duties unless they and their pupils can access schools without fear.

The union reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with government and other stakeholders on safe-school initiatives, teacher welfare and quality education across Oyo State.

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