87 students and teachers kidnapped in Borno and Oyo within 24 hours as lawmakers call attacks a threat to Nigeria’s future

The Nigerian Senate has condemned in strong terms the abduction of 87 students and teachers in coordinated attacks across Borno and Oyo states within a 24-hour span, describing the incidents as a grave threat to the nation’s future.

Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, issued the condemnation in a statement on Sunday through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, warning that the repeated targeting of schools highlights deep security failures.

Bamidele expressed concern that despite the $30 million raised globally in 2014 to strengthen security in schools, such attacks continue to occur with alarming frequency.

In Oyo State, suspected gunmen on Friday abducted 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.

Around the same time, Boko Haram insurgents struck in Borno State, kidnapping 42 students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.

Reacting to the incidents, Bamidele said the attacks reinforce the urgent need to establish state police as part of broader security reforms.

“The 10th National Assembly is at an advanced stage of amending the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for state police,” he said, noting that the proposal would soon be transmitted to state houses of assembly for ratification.

He explained that the initiative requires approval from at least two-thirds of state legislatures before it can take effect, urging governors and lawmakers to treat the reform as a national priority rather than a political issue.

As an immediate response, the Senate Leader called on both federal and state governments to fully activate the Safe School Initiative to better protect learning environments, especially in light of Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children.

Describing the recurring abductions as a “tragic national concern,” Bamidele said the pattern undermines the country’s development and educational progress.

He assured Nigerians that the National Assembly would intensify legislative efforts to curb insecurity when plenary resumes on June 2, including advancing constitutional amendments and strengthening the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 to ensure stricter consequences for perpetrators.