Oyo Assembly Rejects Calls To Negotiate With Bandits

The Oyo State House of Assembly has rejected suggestions and calls that the state government should negotiate with the bandits who abducted teachers and students during the coordinated attack at Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of the state on Friday, May 15, 2026.

It, however, called for intensified rescue operations to secure the release of victims abducted during the attack.

This resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the lawmaker representing Oriire State Constituency, Johnson Ogundele, during plenary shortly after the House resumed from the Eid-el-Kabir recess.

Presenting the motion, Ogundele recounted the May 15 attack on Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities, where bandits invaded during school hours, killing a teacher, a student and an Okada rider, while abducting dozens of students, pupils and teachers.

The lawmaker expressed concern over recurring attacks in Oriire LGA, noting that the area had witnessed increasing bandit activities since January, including an attack on the National Park Service office at Oloka village, where five forest guards were killed.

He called on Governor Seyi Makinde, to intensify security response, deploy more operatives, and personally engage with affected communities, while urging the establishment of a permanent military base within vulnerable areas and forest corridors.

The Assembly also directed the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and SUBEB to carry out immediate security audits of schools located near forests and border settlements across the state.

Lawmakers further urged the government to install solar-powered security lighting, perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras in vulnerable schools, and to develop a comprehensive Safe School Emergency Response Protocol for both public and private institutions.

They unanimously rejected proposals that the state government should negotiate with the bandits responsible for the abduction.

Seconding the motion, Majority Leader Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South) renewed calls for the establishment of state police, arguing that current security arrangements were overstretched and ineffective in difficult terrains.

Other lawmakers, including Olubisi Oluranti (Ogbomoso North), Gbenga Oyekola (Atiba), and Gabriel Babajide (Ibadan North II), called for increased deployment of security personnel, better protection of forest reserves, and broader reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture.

They also raised concerns over increasing kidnapping incidents extending into urban areas and the need to strengthen the Amotekun Corps with better equipment and logistics.

The House subsequently adopted several resolutions, including a call on the federal government to establish a permanent military base in Oriire LGA and strengthen intelligence-driven operations in the area.

Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin, while ruling on the debate, firmly dismissed any suggestion of negotiation with kidnappers, warning that such an approach would embolden criminal elements and worsen insecurity.

He urged continued collaboration with security agencies to ensure the safe rescue of all abducted victims, while reaffirming the Assembly’s commitment to supporting stronger security measures across the state.