The Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, has deployed more detectives from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to collaborate with the joint security team as part of intensified efforts to secure the release of the abducted teachers and students of three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
An informed police source said in Ibadan on Tuesday that the deployment was aimed at rescuing the victims unhurt.
The source said, “More detectives have been deployed from the Force Headquarters to collaborate with the joint security operatives already on the ground.
“The kidnapped students and their teachers will soon breathe the air of freedom as the government and the relevant security agencies are leaving no stone unturned.
“The security agencies will explore all opportunities to ensure that the students return safely to their parents. There is no cause for the parents and the people of the state to be apprehensive as the government is on top of the situation.”
Scores of teachers and students of Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state were abducted during coordinated attacks on Friday around 9:30am.
Governor Seyi Makinde had earlier confirmed that seven students were abducted from Community Secondary School, while 18 children and seven teachers were kidnapped from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School, adding that one person was killed during the attack.
This came as palpable fear gripped residents of Ogbomoso over an alleged invasion of the town by bandits.
The panic saw parents rush to schools to take their children home, while some schools hurriedly shut down.
There were also rumours that bandits had infiltrated Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
A resident of Ogbomoso, Kazeem Abdullah, said students and pupils in both public and private primary schools jumped through windows and fled their classrooms and school premises.
“Many parents compounded the problem as they started rushing to their children’s schools to pick them up,” he said.
Reports also emerged from Ajaawa, headquarters of Ogo-Oluwa Local Government Area, that bandits were disrupting peace in the area.
However, the Oyo State Police Command described the alleged infiltration of bandits into Ogbomoso as a false alarm.
The command, in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, said the panic stemmed from claims by some students that unfamiliar faces were sighted behind the school fence.
The police said investigations revealed that the individuals were an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to the Kwara State Command, Ilorin, alongside two civilians in a Toyota Venza SUV.
The statement read, “The individuals were questioned and explained that they had merely visited the lady among them in celebration of her birthday.
“During verification and due diligence, relevant NSCDC authorities in Ogbomoso were contacted to confirm the identity and status of the officer involved.
“It was further observed that during the interaction, an altercation reportedly occurred between some teachers and the visitors, which inadvertently heightened suspicion within the school premises.
“Consequently, some students began spreading unverified claims to neighbouring schools and surrounding communities, thereby escalating panic and tension across parts of Ogbomoso and Ajaawa before the actual facts of the incident were established.”
The command added that it had intensified patrols and visibility policing around the affected communities, while critical stakeholders had been engaged to reassure residents and restore public confidence.
“The area remains peaceful, while normal academic, commercial and social activities have since resumed.
“The command, therefore, warns against the deliberate spread of fake news, misinformation and unverified security reports capable of causing unnecessary panic, heightening tension and undermining public peace,” the statement added.
Similarly, the management of LAUTECH dismissed reports that the institution had been shut over fears of an attack by suspected bandits.
A statement by the institution’s Registrar, Olayinka Balogun, said there was no truth in the rumour circulating about the closure of the university.
Balogun said there was no reason for such action.
The statement read, “This is to strongly debunk the rumour making the rounds that the management of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, has closed down the university for fear of invasion by bandits.
“This is to inform our students, parents and guardians that there is no reason for management to shut down the university. The institution remains in session.
“As a matter of fact, our students are currently writing their examinations, and the exercise continues on Wednesday. Management regrets any inconvenience this unfounded rumour may have caused.”
Meanwhile, traditional rulers in the five local government areas of Ogbomosoland on Tuesday called for the establishment of a military base in Oriire LGA.
The monarchs said the move would help curb crimes, particularly attacks by armed bandits.
Speaking during the meeting, the Alapa of Apa, Akin Akintola, lamented the worsening insecurity around forest communities in Ogbomoso and adjoining areas.
He said, “We, the traditional rulers, are demanding immediate federal intervention, including the establishment of a military formation close to the forest reserve in Oriire Local Government Area.
“We are requesting that a military base be sited very close to the forest reserve. If we have soldiers and artillery stationed there, it will provide protection for many communities in this zone.”
The monarch stressed that while police officers had been making efforts, the scale and sophistication of the attacks now required military operations.
“I don’t think the police can handle this alone. If you establish only a police station, it may cover just two or three communities. But a military base will offer broader protection and help secure the entire area.
“South-West has now been infiltrated by bandits. We do not have the capacity or the wherewithal to confront these people ourselves. That is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to act urgently,” Akintola added.
The monarchs specifically appealed to President Bola Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to approve the establishment of a military base in the Ogbomoso zone, particularly around Oriire and nearby forest corridors.
“Our people can no longer sleep peacefully. Farmers are afraid to go to their farms because of the fear of attacks and abduction,” the monarch said.
