Senate Reacts As 87 Students, Teachers Are Abducted In Oyo and Borno

The condemnation was made by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement released on Sunday through the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs.

Bamidele expressed deep concern over the renewed wave of attacks on schools despite previous efforts and international interventions aimed at improving security around educational institutions nationwide.

He noted that the latest incidents were especially troubling given that about $30 million was raised globally in 2014 to strengthen security in public and private schools after earlier cases of mass abductions.

Reports indicated that suspected gunmen on Friday kidnapped 45 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, all located in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Around the same period, suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 students.

The attacks have reignited fears over the safety of schools, particularly those located in rural communities vulnerable to terrorism and banditry.

Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the incidents further highlighted the urgent need for the establishment of state police across the country.

According to him, the proposal for state police has reached an advanced stage in the ongoing constitutional amendment process at the National Assembly.

He explained that lawmakers were working towards concluding the legislative process before forwarding the proposal to state Houses of Assembly for ratification.

“One of such initiatives is the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution that seeks to establish state police, which is now at an advanced stage,” he said.

The Senate leader stated that once the National Assembly completes its work, the proposal would be transmitted to state legislatures for consideration and approval.

He added that the backing of at least two-thirds of the state Houses of Assembly would be required before the initiative can take effect.

Bamidele urged state governments and lawmakers across the country to treat the state police proposal as a national security matter rather than politicising it along ethnic, religious, or regional lines.

While awaiting the possible establishment of state police, he called on both federal and state governments to strengthen and expand the Safe School Initiative as an immediate measure to protect students, teachers, and school facilities.

He lamented that the worsening insecurity and repeated attacks on schools were contributing to Nigeria’s growing out-of-school children crisis.

According to him, the country currently has an estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children.

Bamidele described the continuous abduction of students and teachers as “a tragic national concern” capable of undermining Nigeria’s development goals.

He assured Nigerians that the 10th National Assembly would intensify legislative efforts aimed at addressing insecurity when plenary resumes on June 2.

The Senate leader also disclosed that the National Assembly was considering amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 to strengthen the justice system and impose stricter penalties for violent crimes.

“Another is the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 aimed at strengthening the system of consequence in the country’s justice sector and discouraging heinous crimes nationwide,” he added.