Oyo Raises Alarm Over Kidnappings

The Oyo State Government has raised fresh concerns over a series of kidnapping incidents involving indigenes of the state, questioning whether the recent attacks point to an organised attempt to destabilise the state.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, expressed the concern in a statement issued in Ibadan on Monday, October 5, 2026, while reacting to reports of the alleged abduction of 18 Oyo residents who were travelling from Sokoto State.

Oyelade said the reported incident represented the third unusual kidnapping case involving Oyo residents within four months, a pattern he said had raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding the attacks.

However, the claim concerning the alleged abduction of 18 students has since been disputed by the management of Gamji College of Health Technology in Sokoto, which stated that none of its students was kidnapped and that all were safe at their various destinations.

The college described the report as false and misleading and urged parents, guardians and members of the public to rely on its official communication channels for accurate information.

Despite the conflicting account surrounding the Sokoto report, the Oyo Government said the broader pattern of kidnapping involving its citizens remained a matter of concern that warranted close attention.

Oyelade asked whether Oyo residents were being specifically targeted, whether the state was under an organised siege or whether the incidents were being used as decoys to divert attention from other developments.

He also questioned whether there could be a political dimension to the incidents, although the state government did not provide evidence establishing that the kidnappings were politically motivated.

The commissioner’s concerns came shortly after the state government received the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry established by Governor Seyi Makinde to investigate the May 15 abduction of students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.

The Oriire attack involved armed assailants who invaded schools in the area and abducted pupils, students and staff, while an assistant headmaster and an Okada rider were reportedly killed during the incident.

The victims remained in captivity for 56 days before security forces rescued at least 39 schoolchildren and six teachers in July, according to the presidency.

Governor Makinde subsequently constituted the judicial panel on July 31 under the chairmanship of retired Justice Professor Mojeed Owoade to examine the circumstances surrounding the abduction and make recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

Oyelade said the panel submitted its report to the state government the previous week, after which two further kidnapping incidents involving Oyo indigenes were reported.

He therefore questioned whether the timing of the incidents was merely coincidental, stating that the recurrence had become too significant for the government to ignore.

The commissioner stressed that residents of Oyo State were entitled to know who was responsible for attempts to undermine their freedom, education and participation in public life.

His statement came amid another serious security incident involving prospective National Youth Service Corps members from Oyo State who were abducted while travelling to orientation camps in Imo State.

The affected graduates were travelling in two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road when gunmen reportedly attacked the vehicles at Umunoha in Imo State, with reports indicating that 20 prospective corps members were taken into the bush.

The abductors reportedly demanded ₦50 million for each victim, with the total ransom demand put at ₦1 billion by relatives of the victims.

The Oyo State Government said it was working with the Imo State Government and security agencies to secure the safe release of the victims, while offering experience gained from the Oriire abduction to support the rescue effort.

The state government has also cautioned that sensitive details of security operations cannot always be made public because premature disclosure could compromise efforts to rescue victims safely.

The latest developments have therefore renewed attention on the security of Oyo indigenes who travel outside the state, particularly students and young graduates whose journeys to educational institutions and national service camps have exposed them to security risks.

For the Oyo Government, the immediate priority remains the protection of residents and the identification of those behind the attacks, while the disputed Sokoto abduction report underscores the need for authorities and the public to verify sensitive security information before drawing conclusions.

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