The suspected terrorists who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from three schools in Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa towns in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have opened communication channels with the state government.
The hoodlums declined to talk directly with the families of the victims, Saturday PUNCH says, according to two highly reputable sources who spoke to our journalists.
“They stated they want to speak to the governor and no one else. That was the word they brought to the table. “So nobody knows the details and what they’re demanding,” stated a source.
There is no way to verify if the negotiation is happening by the governor himself or a representative of the state.
But a top source said the communication channel was a relief.
“It is not that security agencies do not know what to do. But, the stakes are too high. The source said: “The relief is at least they are talking now.”
It was reported that the terrorists’ demands were being kept quiet so as not to endanger the lives of the victims.
However, Governor Seyi Makinde’s Special Adviser on Security, Abayomi Fagbenro, refused to comment on the situation.
He said in a short message to Saturday PUNCH, “I can’t say anything for now.”
Fears for the fate of toddlers
Teachers and kids, including two- and three-year-olds, were said to have been abducted in attacks on three schools last Friday.
The victims had been held captive for eight days already.
That is why with the start of the rainy season, our anxieties have intensified because it becomes more and more difficult and dangerous for the hostages to traverse through jungles and rugged terrains,” families and community leaders say.
“Sources in affected communities told our correspondent that the victims were being transported in thick forests and across states to evade security pressure.
They said that youngsters surviving in such dire conditions had become a serious concern for parents shocked by the tragedy.
A community leader, who did not want to be identified for fear he was not permitted to speak to the press, said residents were kept in the dark as to the location of the abductees.
“We are concerned for their safety. We don’t know what is going on with them. “Children of two-year-old are among the abductees,” stated the source.
Teachers and pupils leave classrooms
It was gathered that children in public and private primary and secondary schools in Ogbomoso and adjacent areas including Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure and Dananu had deserted classrooms following the event.
Our correspondents reported that school attendance had also plummeted in communities, with many parents refusing to send their children to school over security concerns.
Teachers and education workers claimed despite assurances by the Oyo State government, dread was still rife among kids, parents and school officials.
A teacher at Ikose Primary School who spoke in anonymity revealed that attendance had dropped drastically.
“All the private and public schools in Ogbomoso have been shut down since Monday,” she said. The Esinele attacks made children not want to go to school. But the problem was compounded on Tuesday when some students of Areago Grammar School spotted some men in the bush around them hunting squirrels.
The Esinele incident led “the students to raise the alarm that there were terrorists in the school compound. This created a scene of chaos and everyone started rushing in all directions. One of the children was struck down by a vehicle at the Owode neighborhood of Ogbomoso and he died on the spot. His mother, when she heard about her son’s death, died of shock. Ogbomoso was turned upside down, Tuesday.”
She added: “On Wednesday there were only a few children at private schools and attendance was significantly below typical. But the children at the public schools didn’t go at all. All the teachers in my school and other places like Ogbomoso, Esinele, Yamota, Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure and others had to go home around 12pm.
“Things got worse on Thursday and the number of teachers and pupils fell in the area as well. We didn’t see any students and many teachers didn’t turn up. We were out of school by 11am.”
The source said that the professors agreed not to go to school on Friday in honor of a former Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, who was lost to the terrorists during the incident.
Adesiyan was buried Wednesday.
A teacher in Tewure also told our correspondent that several parents told her last Sunday that their children would not be going to school due of the Esinele tragedy.
They contacted at separate times on Sunday evening to say that their children will not attend school for some time as they are terrified to come to school after their friends were abducted in Esinele and Yamota. I could tell from our chats that they were even frightened.
“Since Monday till now (Thursday) there has been a decrease in the number of pupils in my school. She said: “We had less than 20 pupils come to school on Wednesday.
Another teacher in one of the schools in Ogbomoso, who identified herself only as Oyeyemi, said panic had gripped many parents and teachers following the abduction episode.
Some pupils who did make it to school during the week were sent home early by their parents amid mounting panic and reports of possible terrorist attacks, she said.
“Things have never been the same again after the incident. Many classrooms are half empty because parents are scared to send their children to school. Some parents have been ringing us to say they would rather leave their children at home until they are sure the situation is under control.” You can’t blame them, everybody’s afraid.
“Attendance has dropped off badly in a few days. Some courses had more than half the children away. Without urgent security measures, more parents will pull out their children altogether, for no one wants to lose a child. Parents say they no longer feel comfortable sending their children to schools in isolated locations.
“What we need now is a visible security presence in and around schools and communities. Parents want their kids safe. Teachers want to be able to conduct their jobs safely, too. “People are living in fear right now,” she remarked.
Traumatized teachers
Adesiyan was killed in the attack by the militants while another instructor, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded in captivity.
The assassination of the two teachers, Oyeyemi said, has increased the concern of education personnel.
Honestly, we are traumatised.” Some teachers are already talking about whether to cease attending remote schools for now. Imagine the fear when you learn that a colleague teacher has been killed and another has been beheaded. We are human beings as well. “We have families at home waiting for us,” she said.
A secondary school teacher in Oriire LGA, who pleaded anonymity for security reasons, also stated attendance had dropped drastically in the days after the incident as many parents opted to leave their children at home.
“Even teachers are anxious because no one can confidently say such an incident will not happen again. “We are trying to motivate the children but the fear is still there,” the teacher stated.
Another teacher in the public secondary school in the Ogbomoso axis who just introduced himself as Tayo said the issue was compounded by the rumours going round on social media.
He stated, “People are reacting to what they see and hear and some of the footage being disseminated may not be accurate. Every parent is scared when schoolchildren are kidnapped.
“Attendance has definitely been down from what it was before the incident. Since the news broke, we have had students who have not returned. Parents keep phoning and asking if the environment is safe.
Tayo explained that schools in isolated rural communities have special security concerns due of their location near forests and the considerable distances between settlements.
“Some parents today take their kids to school and come back to pick them immediately after closing hours because they are afraid.
“Teachers are just as worried, because we work in these communities every day. The headteacher said: “What has happened has caused psychological trauma not just for the victims and families but for other children who now fear they could be next.
She called on security agencies to beef up their presence around vulnerable schools especially those around forest corridors often used by criminal groups.
Speaking with our correspondent in a telephone conversation, the Commissioner for Information in Oyo State, Dotun Oyelade, said the anxieties being expressed by teachers and parents were being amplified by disinformation on social media.
The commissioner accused some bloggers of spreading deceptive films that could increase the panic of locals.
“Videos are being posted by bloggers to aggravate the situation even if the videos are false,” he said. That’s the position of the government.
“Yes, the state government is aware of such sad developments taking place in the community where the incident took place. But majority of the instances can be blamed on misleading news coming out of social media.
“You will see the videos of recorded panic among students and, of course, this resonates with parents, who naturally would not want their wards and children to come into harm’s way.”
He said the government has issued formal declarations to ease the tension and reassure locals about security operations in the state.
Tears as 49-year-old teacher is buried
Adesiyan was laid to rest yesterday in Ogbomoso amid tears and emotional outpouring.
The 49-year-old died during the kidnapping of children and instructors last Friday at about 9:30 am.
The funeral service was held at Ayegun Baptist Church, Ogbomoso with the Permanent Secretary, Ogbomoso Zone I, Michael Ojelabi, who represented Governor Seyi Makinde, officials of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, relatives, friends, church members and sympathisers all calling for justice for the deceased and release of the abducted victims.
Mourners had gathered at the church for the service at 10am yesterday and emotional scenes played out as family members and coworkers paid their last respects.
Ojelabi read the homage of Makinde, who expressed regret over the occurrence and stressed that efforts were continue to secure the release of those remaining in prison.
“The state government is pained by the incident and is doing all it can to ensure that those in captivity are returned unharmed,” he said.
The state NUT Chairman, Fatai Hassan, also addressing, said the late teacher was a committed, humble and peace-loving professional whose effect would be missed by colleagues and students.
“The classrooms you taught in will miss your voice, the staffroom will miss your presence and the union will miss your courage,” he said. Your family will miss your love and attention. Indeed a magnificent tree is fallen. As humans we may ask this terrible question, but God knows the whole picture.
Even in our tears and confusion, we are consoled by the fact that your life, though brief, was meaningful and made a difference. You affected many lives and left behind family, friends and loved ones on the road of teachers. We hope that God strengthens your wife and all the members of your family in this trying time.”
In his sermon, Rev. Paul Olaleye, the Senior Pastor of Ayegun Baptist Church, counselled the relatives of the deceased to take heart and leave everything in the hands of God.
He advised people to be always ready for death, as it can come at any time.
“Death will not tell you the day and time it will come but we need to prepare ourselves because when we die we will know whether we have eternal joy or eternal sorrow,” Olaleye stated.
“We have to get ready. Life is delicate and uncertain. There is a day coming when we shall be called to stand before God, to give an account of what we came to do in life. We need to start living like we’re going to die.”
Oyegun Sangotoye, an uncle of the deceased, told our correspondent shortly after the internment at the deceased’s apartment that he was a pillar of support to the family, regretting that his loss had robbed the family of its strength.
The loss of the deceased would be felt by the entire family, according to Sangotoye, a teacher at Community High School, Onikoko, Oriire LGA.
He therefore called for justice and urged government and security agencies to arrest the attackers and bring them to book.
Family screams, teacher beheaded after 10 years married childless
The family of Michael Oyedokun, the Oyo State schoolteacher who was abducted and then murdered by terrorists, has stated he died without a child despite being married for almost 10 years, describing his death as a heartbreaking and irreplaceable loss.
The family’s spokesperson, Ebeni Adediran, said the deceased teacher was a humble, peace-loving guy who had spent over two decades of his life as teacher to young Nigerians until he was tragically killed.
He was a decent man in our family and that is why his passing is a tremendous loss to us, an irreplaceable loss. A death that hurts. “We cannot even explain how he met his death”, Adediran stated in a report by Sahara Reporters.
“Having attended primary school in my community, I went to Ogbomoso Baptist High School and later qualified as a teacher, working for about 21 years in public schools,” he said.
The deceased, he said, had been relocated back to his hometown after years of employment in Oke-Ogun and was very close to his family, visiting his parents every few weeks.
One of the most difficult parts of the tragedy, Adediran said, was that Oyedokun left no child behind.
“The worst thing is that he didn’t leave any children. He had a wife, but they had no children.
“They had been married for over 10 years and no child came out of the marriage despite all their efforts. And now the same man is dead and no child to carry on his family,’ he said sadly.
The teacher’s killing caused uproar as a horrific video apparently made by his abductors was circulated online, showing him shackled and compelled to talk before he was killed.
His remains have now been buried in his hometown amidst tears of anguish from relatives, friends and community members.
The family has meanwhile asked to Nigerians to stop disseminating gruesome videos and images of the dead teacher, warning that ongoing circulation of same will further traumatise them emotionally.
“We are so grateful for the love, concern and sympathy shown to our family during this difficult time.
But the constant dissemination of such movies and photos is very traumatising for us as a family.
“His loved ones and all of us, his nieces, nephews, cousins and relatives have been emotionally devastated, especially as these contents continue to appear on social media,” the family said in a statement.
The death of Oyedokun adds to a revived national debate over the safety of educators and escalating insecurity plaguing rural schooling in regions of Nigeria where teachers and kids are increasingly vulnerable to kidnapping along remote roads.
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