The Oyo State House of Assembly on Wednesday rejected calls for the state government to negotiate with bandits responsible for the abduction of teachers and students during attacks on communities in Oriire Local Government Area.
Instead, lawmakers urged security agencies to intensify rescue operations and sustain efforts aimed at securing the release of victims abducted during the coordinated attacks on Ahoro-Esiele, Oyo and Yawota communities.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Johnson Ogundele, during plenary shortly after the Assembly resumed from the Eid-el-Kabir recess.
Presenting the motion, Ogundele recounted the May 15 attack on the affected communities, where armed bandits reportedly invaded schools during school hours, killing a teacher, a student and a commercial motorcyclist before abducting dozens of pupils, students and teachers.
The lawmaker also raised concern over recurring attacks in the area, citing the earlier killing of five forest guards during an attack on the National Park Service office at Oloka village.
Ogundele commended Governor Seyi Makinde for deploying security operatives and visiting the affected communities, but stressed the need for stronger security measures, including the establishment of a permanent military base around vulnerable communities and forest corridors.
The Assembly further directed the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the State Universal Basic Education Board to conduct security audits of schools located near forests and border settlements across the state.
Lawmakers also called for the installation of solar-powered security lights, perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools, alongside the development of a comprehensive Safe School Emergency Response Protocol for public and private schools.
In a firm stance against dialogue with criminals, the House declared that negotiating with kidnappers would only embolden criminal groups and worsen insecurity in the state.
Seconding the motion, Majority Leader Sanjo Adedoyin renewed calls for the creation of state police, arguing that recent rescue operations exposed the operational limitations faced by conventional security agencies in difficult forest terrains.
According to him, local vigilantes and operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps, played critical roles in penetrating remote areas during rescue efforts.
Other lawmakers also advocated reforms in the country’s security structure and improved deployment of security personnel to vulnerable communities.
The lawmaker representing Atiba Constituency, Gbenga Oyekola, blamed part of the security challenge on poor management and inadequate security presence within forest reserves controlled by the Federal Government. He expressed concern over alleged mining activities and helicopter movements within forest areas without corresponding security coverage.
Babajide Gabriel of Ibadan North II urged Governor Makinde to recruit more personnel into the Amotekun Corps to strengthen local security operations, while Dawood Olalere of Ibadan North-West warned that kidnapping was spreading beyond forests into urban communities.
The Assembly subsequently called on the Federal Government to establish a permanent military base in Oriire Local Government Area and directed the Oyo State Emergency Management Agency to provide trauma counselling and relief materials for affected families.
Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, also dismissed suggestions that the state should negotiate with terrorists, insisting that the focus must remain on intelligence gathering, sustained security operations and coordinated rescue missions to secure the safe release of all victims.
