Families of pupils and teachers abducted by suspected bandits in Oyo State have rejected cash and food items brought by government officials, insisting that the safe return of their loved ones remains their only concern.
The Baale of Yawota community, Emmanuel Alade, disclosed this during an interview with News Central on Monday while recounting the circumstances surrounding the abduction in Orire Local Government Area of the state.
According to Alade, government representatives who visited the affected communities to sympathise with residents were turned away after offering rice and cash as relief materials.
“When the government officials came, they brought rice and money, but the parents rejected them,” he said.
“The women who are government officials on Governor Seyi Makinde’s team came to console us. They brought rice and money, but the parents said they did not want them. They said what they wanted was for their children to be released.”
Alade also narrated how the attack occurred, saying he noticed unfamiliar individuals passing through the area shortly before gunshots erupted.
“On the day the incident happened, I was sitting here when I saw them pass by, but I did not know them. Not long after, we started hearing gunshots. People said bandits had entered the community and everyone ran away,” he said.
“The person who went to meet them was killed, and that was how the students were taken away. Little children were abducted while the gunmen kept shooting.”
He added that residents later reported the incident to the police, who subsequently visited the community.
The development comes amid ongoing efforts by state and federal authorities to secure the release of the abductees.
Governor Seyi Makinde had on Saturday met with families of the kidnapped pupils and staff members in Ahoro-Esiele community, assuring them that security agencies were working tirelessly to rescue the victims.
The governor said his administration had intensified security operations and consultations since the incident and expressed confidence that the abductees would be rescued safely.
On Sunday, a federal government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, visited the Esiele and Yawota communities on the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
The delegation, which included National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, assured residents that all available resources were being deployed to secure the victims’ release.
The mass abduction, which occurred more than two weeks ago, has heightened concerns over insecurity in border communities within Oyo State.
