Yoruba elders condemn Oyo school abductions, task South-west governors.

The Yoruba Council of Elders has condemned the abduction of more than 45 pupils, students and teachers from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The affected schools include Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yaworan; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.

In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, the Council described the attack as an assault on the future of the South-West and the right of children to learn in a safe environment.

The group stated that schools should never become targets for kidnappers and bandits, urging the Federal Government to immediately deploy special forces, intelligence assets and logistics support to secure the safe release of the victims.

The Council also called on the governors of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos states to strengthen regional cooperation and mobilise available resources to tackle insecurity across the South-West.

According to the statement, Yorubaland must not become a new hotspot for mass abductions, adding that the incident reflects the wider security challenges facing the country.

The YCE further urged Southwest governments to strengthen community and regional security structures by providing improved training, equipment and legal backing for the Amotekun Corps to carry out intelligence-led operations effectively.

The group also called on the six governors to engage indigenous security stakeholders, including the office of the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, in efforts to improve security across the region.

It also urged the Oyo State Government to establish a joint security task force for real-time intelligence sharing among Southwest states to curb the movement of criminals across borders.

The Council recommended the deployment of Armed School Protection Units in high-risk local government areas, particularly communities bordering forest reserves.

The YCE expressed solidarity with the families of the abducted victims and sympathised with the family of the Mathematics teacher reportedly killed during the attack, praying for strength for those affected by the incident.