Oyo: Don’t play politics with our lives, says abducted principal

The abducted principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has urged the government to not play politics with their lives in a fresh video from captivity, dismissing claims that the kidnappers demanded a N1 billion ransom or the imposition of Sharia law in Nigeria. Daily […]

The abducted principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has urged the government to not play politics with their lives in a fresh video from captivity, dismissing claims that the kidnappers demanded a N1 billion ransom or the imposition of Sharia law in Nigeria.

Daily Trust reports that terrorists had abducted 46 pupils and teachers in a coordinated attack on three schools in Oriire LGA on May 15.

The crisis worsened days later when one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the abductors.

Calls for negotiations intensified after a video released on social media showed the principal, appealing to authorities to urgently negotiate their release.

The incident also sparked widespread outrage, leading to nationwide protests by members of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) and other stakeholders demanding urgent action.

Last week, there were reports that the terrorists had made some demands including Sharia law implementation, payment of N1billion into an account in Benin Republic and release of some of their leaders on trial.

The reports were fueled by the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin’s comment during a debate on the incident on the floor of the Assembly.

“To bring these children and teachers back, if it is up to you, will you negotiate with terrorists if terrorists ask for weapons, they ask for money, they ask for concessions on future laws of this land as part of their ransom?

“If you were the governor, wouldyou accept those ransoms? Will you accept that those people should be accepted into that community?” Ogundoyin asked.

Following reports on the demand, the Muslim Community of Oyo State, also condemned the reported Sharia-related demands made by abductors, declaring that terrorists do not represent Islamic values and cannot speak for Muslims.

In a statement jointly signed by Alhaji Ishaq Kunle Sanni, the Chairman and Alhaji Murisiku Abidemi Siyanbade, the Secretary General, the leadership of the community said the position followed recent “criminal acts where kidnappers attempted to justify their actions using religious rhetoric.”

The community clarified that Islam strictly forbids kidnapping, terrorism and the extortion of innocent citizens.

 

‘They didn’t ask for Sharia or N1bn’

Alamu, who has been held alongside dozens of schoolchildren and teachers, in a fresh clip released yesterday by the captives, appealed to Nigerians to disregard reports suggesting that their abductors demanded implementation of Sharia law and N1bn, insisting that those claims were false and capable of worsening the victims’ situation.

She made an emotional plea, urging Nigerians to circulate her message and cautioning the government against politicising the matter.

“Good day, everyone. Please, I have come to make some clarifications. Today makes it the 24th day that we have been in this place. And it seems that some people are making our problems more complicated already. We were shown some print media where it was stated that these people who abducted us requested the release of some people. They requested N1 billion; they requested that Sharia law be enshrined in the country.

“These are not true. They are just trying to create problems for us. We have been here since, and we have not been forced to worship in an Islamic way. We have been left alone. They have not troubled us concerning that. They are not asking for Sharia law; they are not asking for money. The single thing they are looking for is the release of some of their people. I don’t know why they are peddling this rumour to make it complicated for us.

“Please, we are begging you, please, don’t play politics with our lives. Nigerians, please help us to circulate this, let it go viral. They are not asking for Sharia law. It’s not true. They are not asking for weapons; they are not asking for money. All they want is the release of some people. And the government should negotiate with them and know what they will release for them.

“I don’t know why they are playing politics with our lives. Please, Nigerians, our lives are in your hands. Please, help us make it go viral. Don’t let the government deceive the whole world. They are not asking for Sharia law, they are not asking for money, they are not asking for weapons. All they want is the release of some of their people. Please, let everybody know about it.”

When contacted, the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, said he had not seen the latest viral clip from the abductors.

“As a journalist, I have to see it before commenting on it,” he said.

 

‘Negotiate if you lack capacity to rescue them’

A security expert, Matthew Ibadin, has urged the federal government to negotiate with kidnappers if security agencies cannot secure their release through rescue operations.

Speaking to Daily Trust, Ibadin argued that the immediate priority should be the safe return of innocent victims while authorities work on strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.

“The truth of the matter is that those children are innocent,” he said. “What we need in Nigeria today is to fortify our security architecture.”

According to him, Nigeria’s current security structure is ineffective and requires urgent reforms.

“When you have a system that is not working, what do you do? You have to redefine it,” he stated. “What the government needs to do is to remove police from exclusive missions to concurrent missions so that we can have what we call state police.”

Ibadin also advocated greater autonomy for local governments, arguing that crime prevention and response should begin at the grassroots level.

“Crime is local, first of all. These are the first points of call. But in Nigeria, when the issue happens, you have to call the President, you have to call the IGP, you have to call the Defence Minister. These are the problems we have.

“The reporting is now top to bottom instead of bottom to top. That is why our security architecture is complicated. What we need to do is to dismantle it. This single-digit security architecture needs to be dismantled with immediate effect,” he added

Ibadin lamented what he described as years of neglect of the Nigeria Police Force, insisting that no democratic government since 1999 had adequately funded the institution.

He said, “Police is in charge of internal security. There are some countries in the world without an army, but there is no country in the world without police. Any government that compromises police knows the implication.

“There is no democratically elected government that actually injected money into the Nigerian police. They’re using Nigerian police as a handbag; they’re using them to be carrying bags for their wives.”

According to the security expert, poor funding and inadequate training have weakened the police’s capacity to tackle insecurity.

Ibadin highlighted what he described as a severe shortage of operational equipment, pointing to deficiencies in drone deployment, aviation support, and cybersecurity capabilities.

“We have a complicated security structure. This is where the problem lies,” he said.

On conflicting reports regarding the kidnappers’ demands, Ibadin said the public should rely on information provided by individuals directly involved in the incident.

He said, “What they want is what the woman has said because anything else people are saying is all speculation. As far as the woman has come up to say this is what they want, we believe the woman and what she said.”

While stressing the need for long-term security reforms, Ibadin maintained that negotiation should not be ruled out if it would save lives.

Drawing comparisons with international conflicts, Ibadin said negotiation remains a legitimate option even during active hostilities.

“Even America negotiates. Look at Ukraine and Russia. They are fighting a war and they are still negotiating, exchanging prisoners of war. There is nothing wrong with negotiation, so that our children can go back home,” he stated.