Oyo School Kidnappings: A Threat to Nigeria’s Education System -By Isiaq Ibrahim

Nigeria’s education system is under siege. The recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State is a grim reminder that no zone is immune. When schools become targets, the damage extends far beyond the immediate victims.

On 15th May 2026, Premium Times reported that Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State witnessed a surprise attack that led to the abduction of teachers and pupils from several schools. The affected institutions include Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, near Alawusa, as well as Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, all within Oriire Local Government Area in the Ogbomoso axis of the state.

“Help us to build a nation where no man is oppressed” is a line from the national anthem, but the reality has been reversed. Fear is already driving parents to withdraw their children from school. In a nation where poverty already limits access to education, the risk of abduction is becoming the final barrier.

This is likely to lead to a decline in enrollment, irregular attendance, and rising dropout rates. UNICEF estimates that Nigeria has over 18 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world. Each kidnapping pushes that number higher, especially for girls.

The teaching profession may also face a complete backlash if insecurity continues to undermine the education system. Teachers will flee, and the academic foundation of children will be shattered. No professional wants to work where life is unsafe.

Like Oriire LGA, many teachers may be considering requests for transfers or outright resignation, leaving rural schools in Oyo with dangerously high student-teacher ratios that will damage the foundation of the learning system. Unqualified staff will be forced to fill the gaps, and the overall quality of learning will decline.

On 31st May, the Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Teachers directed all public schools across the state to shut down. No one can predict how long this will last. It may persist for a week, months, or even a year. Meanwhile, the government’s attitude toward education remains a concern. Funds meant for classrooms and books sit unused while budgets are redirected to security and ransom payments.

These abductions also inflict severe psychological trauma on students and teachers who witness violence. The trauma destroys concentration, motivation, and academic performance. As the saying goes, “A generation raised in fear cannot learn effectively.”

Protecting education requires urgent action: securing schools through fencing, guards, and collaboration with Amotekun; fully funding the Safe Schools Initiative; engaging communities for intelligence; and providing counseling for trauma survivors. The prosecution of kidnappers must also be swift and visible.

As the Quran instructs, “Read! In the name of your Lord who created” [Q96:1]. But teachers and parents argue that reading cannot happen if students do not feel safe. The future of Nigeria’s education system, they insist, depends on restoring that safety now.

Education remains Nigeria’s path out of poverty. We cannot build a nation if our children fear the classroom more than they love learning.