- As Oyo State debunks viral video claiming release of abducted school children and teachers
As anxiety mounts over the fate of abducted pupils, students and teachers in Oyo State, a federal lawmaker has ignited a national conversation on insecurity, accusing Nigeria’s political elite of being disconnected from the dangers facing ordinary families because their own children often attend private schools or study overseas.
The remarks came as the Oyo State Government dismissed as false a viral social media report claiming that victims of the recent school abduction in Oriire Local Government Area had regained their freedom.
Speaking during plenary at the House of Representatives, Hon. Bamidele Salam, who represents Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency, delivered a stinging critique of the country’s leadership, arguing that many decision-makers are shielded from the consequences of worsening insecurity in public schools.
Drawing from a Yoruba proverb, Salam warned that society often overlooks tragedies affecting the poor until they begin to touch the powerful.
“There is a saying among the Yoruba people that if a lion comes into a village and kills the children of the poor, there may be no noise, there may be no mourning. But the day the lion comes into the village and kills a child of the king, the whole city is turned into a graveyard,” he said.
The lawmaker argued that many public officials are insulated from the realities confronting millions of Nigerian families because their children are enrolled in private institutions, with some studying abroad.
“For reasons we all know, most of the children of those of us who are in leadership positions today attend private schools. Some of them outside the Republic of Nigeria because we can afford it,” Salam said.
“But the children of the poor, labourers, teachers and ordinary citizens attend public schools. We cannot afford to close our eyes to the dangers that these children and their teachers face every day.”
‘We Can Protect Politicians, Why Not Schoolchildren?’
Salam called for the establishment of a specialised national security framework dedicated solely to protecting schools across Nigeria.
According to him, the country has reached a point where safeguarding educational institutions should be treated as a national emergency.
“I disagree with those who say we cannot protect all schools,” he said.
“If we can protect thousands of public office holders in Nigeria, we can protect the children of the poor who attend public schools and the teachers who serve them.”
The lawmaker recalled that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps once operated a school security initiative, but alleged that the programme was never adequately funded.
He urged the Federal Government to revive and properly finance a dedicated school protection architecture, noting that several countries facing similar threats have developed innovative systems to secure their educational institutions.
Oyo Government Debunks Viral ‘Release’ Video
Salam’s intervention came as the Oyo State Government moved swiftly to counter reports circulating on social media claiming that abducted pupils, students and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area had been released.
The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, described the viral video as false and misleading.
“The viral video about the release of those abducted at Oriire in Oyo State is unfortunately untrue,” Oyelade said.
He stressed that efforts to secure the victims’ release remain ongoing and that government authorities are pursuing carefully coordinated interventions aimed at achieving a safe outcome.
According to him, unverified reports not only spread misinformation but also deepen the trauma experienced by families desperately awaiting news about their loved ones.
“The state government continues its discreet interventions, which we are very hopeful will yield the desired result soon,” he added.
Beyond Kidnappings: The Deeper Crisis
The controversy has also reignited broader concerns about Nigeria’s approach to insecurity.
Veteran journalist and columnist Funke Egbemode recently argued that after more than a decade of battling insurgency, banditry and mass kidnappings, Nigeria may still be addressing symptoms rather than underlying causes.
While poverty does not automatically produce criminals, she noted that widespread deprivation, unemployment and lack of opportunity create fertile ground for recruitment by criminal and extremist groups.
“A hungry young man with no education, no employable skill and no hope for the future is easier to manipulate than one who has opportunities,” she wrote.
Yet Egbemode warned against treating economic development as a substitute for law enforcement.
“No nation negotiates its existence with terrorists,” she argued. “Development is necessary. Security is non-negotiable. The two must work together.”
Her comments echo growing public frustration over the persistence of school abductions, attacks on rural communities and the perception that many affected areas remain underserved by government institutions.
As families in Oyo continue to wait for news of their loved ones, Salam’s remarks have amplified an uncomfortable question at the heart of the national debate:
Would Nigeria respond differently to insecurity if the children under threat belonged to the country’s most powerful families?
