The Oyo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, rejected suggestions and calls that the state government should negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attack at Ahoro-Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area of the state on Friday, May 15, 2026.

It, however, called for intensified rescue operations to secure the release of victims abducted during the attack.

This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Johnson Ogundele, during plenary, shortly after the House resumed from the Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) recess.

The motion highlighted growing insecurity in parts of the Oriire Local Government Area of the state.

Presenting the motion, Ogundele recounted the May 15 attack on Ahoro-Esienle, Oyo and Yawota communities, where bandits invaded during school hours, killing a teacher, a student and an okada rider, while abducting dozens of students, pupils and teachers.

The lawmaker expressed concern over the recurring attacks in the area, saying “Oriire had witnessed increasing bandit activities since January, including the attack on the National Park Service office at Oloka village, where five forest guards were killed.

“Let me use this period to call on Governor Seyi Makinde for his swift response, deployment of security operatives, rescue efforts and personal visit to the affected communities.

“I want to equally urge the state government to intensify support for security agencies and establish a permanent military base within and around vulnerable communities and forest corridors in the area.”

The Assembly also called on the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the State Universal Basic Education Board to immediately conduct security audits of schools located near forests and border settlements across the state.

It said, “The Assembly also urges the government to expedite the installation of solar-powered security lights, perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools and to develop a comprehensive Safe School Emergency Response Protocol for public and private schools across Oyo.

“The Assembly equally rejects suggestions and calls that the State Government should negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attack at the community in Oriire Local Government Area of the state, on Friday, May 15, 2026.”

Seconding the motion, the Majority Leader, Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South), renewed calls for the establishment of state police, urging the Federal Government to remove all obstacles delaying its creation.

Adedoyin said the recent rescue operations exposed the challenges conventional security agencies face while navigating dense forests, forcing them to rely heavily on local vigilantes and operatives of the state Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, to penetrate difficult terrains.

He argued that the security realities confronting states had further justified the need for state police and urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the initiative.

Contributing to the debate, Olubisi Oluranti (Ogbomoso North) commended the efforts of Governor Makinde and security agencies but stressed the need for increased deployment of personnel to vulnerable communities to prevent future attacks.

Also, Gbenga Oyekola (Atiba) blamed part of the security challenge on poor management of the expansive forest reserve owned and maintained by the Federal Government.

He lamented that despite the vast forest stretching across several parts of Oyo State and neighbouring states, security presence within the reserve remained inadequate.

Oyekola further expressed concern that despite reports of mining activities in parts of the forest, including sightings of helicopters landing and departing from the area, adequate security measures had not been put in place to protect residents and legitimate operators.

Also speaking, Babajide Gabriel (Ibadan North II) called for far-reaching structural reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture.

He recalled Makinde’s previous concerns about the limitations faced by governors who are constitutionally regarded as chief security officers of their states but lack direct control over security agencies.

Gabriel appealed to the governor to recruit more personnel into the Amotekun Corps to strengthen local security operations and condemned attempts by some individuals to politicise the insecurity situation for partisan gains.

He urged all stakeholders to approach the challenge collectively, stressing that insecurity had become a national concern requiring unified action.

Dawood Olalere (Ibadan North-West) observed that kidnapping had evolved beyond forest-based criminality and was increasingly affecting urban and semi-urban communities.

He cited the reported abduction of the sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and her two sons earlier on Wednesday as evidence of the widening threat posed by kidnappers.

Olalere called for better equipment and improved weaponry for Amotekun operatives, arguing that personnel armed with locally fabricated weapons could not effectively confront heavily armed criminal gangs operating in forests and remote locations.

The House subsequently adopted several resolutions, including a call on the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Defence and relevant agencies, to establish a permanent military base in Oriire LGA.

Lawmakers also urged the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency to provide trauma counselling, psychosocial support and relief materials to affected families, while calling on traditional rulers, community leaders and local government authorities to strengthen intelligence gathering and community policing initiatives.

The Assembly further directed its Committee on Security and Strategy to undertake an oversight visit to Oriire LGA to assess the security situation, engage stakeholders and recommend urgent legislative interventions.

In his remarks, Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, firmly “dismissed calls for the state government to negotiate with terrorists and kidnappers,” warning that “such a move could embolden criminal elements and encourage further attacks.”

While acknowledging the frustration, anxiety and impatience of families whose loved ones remained in captivity, the Speaker urged residents to continue supporting security agencies and the state government in ongoing rescue efforts.

Ogundoyin maintained that negotiating with terrorists would send the wrong signal and potentially strengthen criminal networks, insisting that the focus should remain on sustained security operations, intelligence gathering and coordinated rescue missions aimed at securing the safe release of all victims.

He, therefore, reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to supporting measures that would strengthen security across Oyo and prevent a recurrence of attacks on schools and communities.

The Nigeria Police Force has commenced an investigation into the alleged unauthorised access and leakage of classified voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), leading to the arrest of an INEC official and the interrogation of a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Senior police sources confirmed on Wednesday that operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) are probing allegations of database misuse, cyber-related offences and the unauthorised disclosure of sensitive national documents belonging to INEC.

As part of the investigation, an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, has been taken into custody, while Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister, was questioned by investigators on Tuesday at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.

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The probe followed a petition reportedly filed on behalf of INEC, alleging criminal conspiracy, cyber intimidation and the unlawful release of classified electoral records.

The controversy arose after Olayinka shared screenshots on social media purportedly showing details of a voter registration transfer involving Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, from Imo State to the Federal Capital Territory.

The post, which came amid questions surrounding Ike’s eligibility to contest a House of Representatives seat in the FCT following his criticism of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primary process, triggered widespread reactions.

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Many Nigerians questioned how the information was obtained, alleging that it could only have come from INEC’s restricted voter registration database.

Responding to the controversy on Tuesday, INEC denied reports of a breach or hacking of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) database, insisting that the disclosure resulted from the misuse of legitimate internal access credentials by an authorised official.

Investigations revealed that the detained electoral officer allegedly initiated contact with Olayinka through Facebook Messenger before forwarding voter registration documents to him via WhatsApp.

The documents were reportedly intended to show that Emeka Ike’s voter transfer request had recently been initiated and had not yet received final approval.

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During his interrogation, Olayinka reportedly told investigators that he had no prior relationship with the INEC official and was unaware that the documents shared with him were classified.

Sources said he maintained that the electoral officer did not indicate that the information was confidential or restricted.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) has also launched a parallel investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disclosure of the voter information.

Police authorities are said to be considering possible charges against both the INEC official and Olayinka, including criminal conspiracy, cyber-related offences, unlawful disclosure of classified information and actions capable of causing a breach of public peace.

Vanguard