Families of pupils and teachers abducted by gunmen in Oyo State have turned down offers of cash and relief materials from government officials, insisting that nothing matters more than the safe return of their loved ones.
The revelation was made by the Baale of Yawota, Emmanuel Alade, during an interview with News Central on Monday as he recounted the community’s ordeal following the mass abduction in Orire Local Government Area.
According to Alade, officials who visited the affected communities to sympathise with residents were met with a firm response from grieving parents.
“When the government officials came, they brought rice and money, but the parents rejected them,” he said.
“The women on Governor Seyi Makinde’s team came to console us and offered support, but the parents made it clear that they were not interested in food or cash. What they want is for their children to come back home safely.”
Alade also narrated how the attack unfolded, saying he noticed unfamiliar faces moving through the community shortly before gunshots shattered the calm.
“On that day, I was sitting here when I saw some people passing through, but I didn’t know who they were,” he recalled.
“Not long after, we started hearing gunshots. People began shouting that bandits had entered the community and everyone ran for safety.”
He said an individual who attempted to approach the attackers was killed, while the gunmen seized several pupils and teachers.
“The person who went to meet them was shot dead. That was when they took the children away. They were shooting as they moved through the area and abducted the students,” he said.
Alade added that residents quickly alerted the police, who later visited the community.
The incident has drawn attention from both state and federal authorities, with several high-level visits made to the affected communities in recent days.
Governor Seyi Makinde visited families of the abducted victims in Ahoro-Esiele community on Saturday, assuring them that security agencies were intensifying efforts to secure their release.
He said the state government had stepped up security operations and coordination meetings since the abduction occurred, pledging that every effort was being made to bring the victims home safely.
A day later, a federal delegation led by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the Esiele and Yawota communities on the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
The delegation included National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu and Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa.
They assured residents that security agencies were deploying all available resources to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers.
The kidnapping, which occurred more than two weeks ago, has deepened anxiety among residents and reignited concerns over insecurity in communities located along Oyo State’s border corridors.
For many families, however, the message remains simple: no amount of relief material can replace the return of their children.
