Nigeria is grappling with a severe and escalating crisis of school abductions, highlighted by coordinated attacks on May 15, 2026, in both the Southwest and Northeast regions. This dark day saw over 80 schoolchildren and teachers abducted, reopening old wounds and intensifying fears across the nation, as non-state actors executed highly organized operations with alarming precision.

In Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, armed assailants attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School, and LA Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele, near Ogbomoso. Approximately 45 pupils, teachers, and a school principal were abducted. Tragically, one of the abducted teachers, an assistant headmaster identified as Mr. Adesiyan, was killed by the kidnappers. Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, representing Oyo North, detailed how the attackers conducted surveillance for days, noting unusual business activity that inadvertently signaled their presence. He explained that schools in remote rural areas, often with only a few classrooms, are highly vulnerable, and recounted how a teacher was shot while attempting to escape and an 'okada' rider was also shot by the kidnappers.

On the same day, May 15, 2026, suspected Boko Haram militants attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira Uba, Borno State, abducting 42 schoolchildren and local residents. Weeks later, many of these victims from both Oyo and Borno states remain in captivity. The pattern of insecurity further extended into June, with bandits launching fresh attacks in Zamfara, abducting polytechnic students, and unknown gunmen kidnapping the sister of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu and her twin sons in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The incidents have sparked widespread outrage and protests. The Take-It-Back Movement, led by activist Omoyele Sowore, marched through Abuja, demanding the immediate rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers, chanting slogans like “Bring Back Our Children Now” and “Rescue or Resign Now.” Heavy security was deployed around the Presidential Villa, with barricades and intensified stop-and-search operations. Earlier, the movement had protested in Ibadan. The Oyo State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) declared an indefinite strike across public primary and secondary schools to press the government for improved school security.

Prominent political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have lambasted the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for what they describe as