Senate condemns school abductions in Borno and Oyo after 87 students and teachers were kidnapped within 24 hours

The Nigerian Senate has condemned the abduction of 87 students and teachers across Borno State and Oyo State within 24 hours, describing the incidents as a devastating attack on the country’s future.

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Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele issued the condemnation in a statement released through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday, warning that the repeated school abductions underscored the urgent need for the establishment of state police across Nigeria.

The latest incidents involved the kidnapping of 45 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A Primary School in Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State by suspected gunmen on Friday.

Within the same period, suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly abducted 42 students during an attack on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

Bamidele described the school abductions as deeply troubling, particularly after millions of dollars had previously been mobilised globally to improve school security in Nigeria following earlier attacks on educational institutions.

The senator noted that approximately $30 million was raised in 2014 to strengthen security around public and private schools nationwide.

According to him, the fresh attacks reinforce the urgency of constitutional amendments currently before the National Assembly aimed at creating state police structures.

Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the constitutional review process was already at an advanced stage.

He explained that once the National Assembly concludes its legislative work, the proposal would be transmitted to state houses of assembly for ratification.

“The proposal will be transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for consideration and scrutiny, which would require a two-thirds approval before the state police could come on stream,” he said.

The senator appealed to state governments and lawmakers across the country to treat the proposal as a matter of urgent national importance rather than allowing political or ethnic interests to influence the process.

Pending the establishment of state police, Bamidele urged federal and state authorities to strengthen implementation of the Safe School Initiative to better protect pupils, teachers and educational facilities.

He warned that persistent school abductions continued to worsen Nigeria’s education crisis, noting that the country already had an estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children.

According to him, the growing insecurity around schools poses a serious threat to national development and social stability.

Bamidele also disclosed that the National Assembly would prioritise legislative measures aimed at combating terrorism and violent crimes when plenary resumes on June 2.

He said lawmakers were currently working on amendments to the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 to strengthen deterrence mechanisms and improve accountability within the justice sector.

“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.

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“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.”