Nigeria: NAF deploys surveillance aircraft in rescue effort for abducted Oyo schoolchildren
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria
The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, says it is providing aerial surveillance support to aid the rescue of teachers and pupils abducted on May 15 from Yawota and Ahoro-Esiele communities in Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State. Victims were taken from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School. One teacher was later killed in captivity.
Governor Seyi Makinde said during a June 5 meeting with NAF officials that the Air Force deployed a surveillance platform immediately after the abduction was reported. The intelligence gathered has continued to support search-and-rescue operations. Makinde appealed for patience and said the state’s newly acquired aerial assets are being assembled at the NAF Base in Lagos. The state consulted the NAF on the acquisition to ensure maintenance, engineering support, and pilot training.
Speaking for the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Suleh reaffirmed the NAF’s commitment to working with other security agencies to secure the victims’ release and safeguard lives and property.
The South-West chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security. CAN South-West Chairman, Bishop Barnabas Akin-Akinsanya, said kidnappings and attacks in Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, and Lagos now threaten peace, economic development, and social stability. He called for security agencies to be equipped with drones, modern surveillance, intelligence systems, and rapid-response capacity.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, urged Yoruba traditional rulers to deploy ancestral and communal values to combat bandits and kidnappers. He said traditional institutions must work with government and security agencies to restore peace.
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, accused the Federal Government of failing to protect citizens as schoolchildren, teachers, and workers continue to be abducted. ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie said the abductions threaten education, productivity, and development, and called for decisive action to dismantle criminal networks and restore public confidence.
The Ogun State Police Command debunked a viral video claiming to show armed bandits in an Ogun forest. Police spokesperson DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi said the footage was recorded in Kenya in 2022 during an operation against cattle rustlers and was recycled to mislead the public. Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni urged residents to disregard the video and avoid spreading unverified information.
