Oyo raises alarm after 18 students abducted, asks if state is under siege

The Oyo State Government has raised the alarm over repeated cases of kidnapping in the state, asking if it is under organised siege, Punch reports.

Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade said this in a statement issued Monday, reacting to the abduction of 18 Oyo State students returning home from Sokoto State at the weekend.

The incident comes weeks after the abduction of students and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area, heightening concerns over the safety of residents travelling outside the state.

Oyelade noted that the state had recorded unusual kidnapping incidents for the third time in four months.

“Are we being targeted? Are we under organised siege? Are these uncommon decoys to distract us? Is this a political attack targeting scholarship and conviction?” he asked.

He recalled that students and teachers abducted from Oriire on May 15 spent 56 days in captivity, prompting Governor Seyi Makinde to set up a judicial panel led by Justice (Prof.) Mojeed, whose report was submitted last week.

“Ever since the submission of the report, two serial kidnapping attacks have been foisted on Oyo State… If it is [a coincidence], it is one too many,” Oyelade said.

He added that Oyo citizens deserved to know who was attempting to stifle their liberty to knowledge and scholarship.