…Sowore Leads Protesters To Demand Action, Not Words
…Security Beefed Up in Aso Rock, Eagle Square
By Peter Salami
The Federal Government on Thursday reassured Nigerians that every available resource was being deployed to secure the release of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo and Borno States, declaring that no Nigerian child should be left in captivity.
The assurance came as security agencies tightened security around the Presidential Villa and Eagle Square in Abuja as rights activists, led by Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, protested over the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Speaking at a special national security briefing tagged #UniteAgainstTerror in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, conveyed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message to affected families and Nigerians, insisting that the safe return of the victims remained a top priority of the administration.
“No child belongs in captivity,” Idris declared, assuring parents and communities that the government was fully committed to rescuing every abducted pupil and teacher and bringing those responsible to justice.
According to the minister, President Tinubu has activated a specialised rescue team and approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards to strengthen security across vulnerable communities and support ongoing operations against terrorists and kidnappers.
He disclosed that intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance, community engagement, and coordinated search-and-rescue missions were ongoing in Oyo and Borno States, where dozens of schoolchildren were reportedly abducted by armed groups.
“The President has directed that every lawful instrument available to the Nigerian state be deployed towards achieving this objective,” Idris said, stressing that all security and intelligence agencies had been mobilised to secure the victims’ freedom.
The minister said the administration’s security strategy combines military operations with intelligence-driven interventions and broader reforms aimed at modernising Nigeria’s security architecture, including plans to institutionalise state policing.
Highlighting progress made since May 2023, Idris said security forces had neutralised, arrested, or compelled the surrender of hundreds of terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements, while rescuing numerous kidnap victims across the country.
He cited recent military successes in Borno State, where troops of Operation Hadin Kai reportedly killed more than 50 insurgents, including key commanders, during operations along the Kirawa-Pulka and Ngoshe corridors.
According to him, nearly 1,000 terrorists, including several top commanders, were eliminated in the first quarter of 2026, while a joint Nigeria-United States-supported operation in May disrupted terrorist logistics networks and rescued 92 civilians held captive near Buratai.
Idris also pointed to major gains in terrorism prosecutions, revealing that four terrorists were recently sentenced to death by the Federal High Court in Abuja for their roles in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
He said 508 terrorism-related cases had so far been prosecuted, resulting in 386 convictions, while more than 500 additional suspects were currently facing trial.
The minister urged Nigerians to support the government’s anti-terror campaign, warning that terrorists seek not only to kill and abduct but also to undermine national unity and confidence in public institutions.
“To the families whose children and loved ones remain in captivity, your pain is our pain,” he said. “Every available resource is being deployed. Every security agency remains engaged. Every intelligence lead is being pursued.”
Meanwhile, security operatives barricaded roads leading to the Presidential Villa and Eagle Square ahead of a planned protest by the Take-It-Back Movement and other activists demanding the rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers.
Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the Army, the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency were deployed to strategic locations around the city centre, causing traffic disruptions and forcing many commuters to trek long distances.
Despite the heightened security presence, only a handful of protesters were seen in parts of the capital as demonstrators renewed calls for urgent government action to secure the release of the victims.
The protest followed earlier demonstrations in Ibadan by teachers and civil society groups demanding intensified rescue efforts after gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15.
At least 45 pupils and teachers were abducted during the attacks on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso.
The attackers also killed an assistant headmaster and a motorcyclist, while one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded, triggering nationwide outrage and renewed calls for stronger action against kidnappers and terrorists.