Gunmen stormed schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15. They abducted 46 people — 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a two-year-old toddler — and killed one teacher. More than two weeks later, several victims remain in captivity.
Presidential aide on social media Dada Olusegun waded into the controversy. He posted on X that operational details must stay off public platforms.
“The Kidnappers are on social media with us and follow the trends to get updates. You cannot possibly expect the government to update rescue plans on social media if you really have the interest of those kids at heart and it is not just for performative purposes. Concerned we must. Reckless we mustn’t”
Olusegun argued that loose updates hand kidnappers an advantage. He said real concern for the children demands silence on tactics, not public performance to appease critics. Anger, he added, belongs with the terrorists using kids as human shields.
The federal government has sent a high-level delegation. NSA Nuhu Ribadu and Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila visited families and security teams. President Tinubu approved 1,000 new forest guards to tighten surveillance in bandit corridors. Military rescue operations continue on the ground.
Yet harrowing videos keep emerging. Principal Rachael Alamu and other captives beg authorities to negotiate, not storm their location. They describe exposure to rain and sun in the bush. The principal’s husband says the kidnappers refuse family talks and demand direct government contact.
Public fury has boiled over. Protests hit Ibadan streets demanding clear progress reports. Police have repeatedly debunked fake videos falsely showing the captives being tortured — old clips recycled online that only spread confusion and risk real operations.
Reactions on X to Olusegun’s post split sharply. Some users backed the need for secrecy, noting criminals actively track trends. Others expressed raw frustration that two weeks of official visits and troop movements have not produced visible results or reassurance for desperate families.
The standoff exposes a brutal pattern. Schools remain soft targets. Captors exploit both the terrain and the information space. Families endure agony while officials weigh every public word against the chance of losing more children. Transparency loses to survival calculations every time lives sit in the balance.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!