Nigerian bishops urge urgent rescue of 46 abducted learners and teachers in Oyo State, condemning rising insecurity and prolonged captivity.
Newsroom (24/06/2026 Gaudium Press ) The Catholic Bishops of Nigeria’s Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province (IEP) have issued a strong appeal for the immediate rescue and release of 46 individuals abducted during a violent attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The victims, comprising 39 learners and seven teachers, were kidnapped on May 15 in an assault carried out by armed bandits.
In a statement released on Monday, June 22, the Local Ordinaries of the Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese and the Dioceses of Ekiti, Ilorin, Ondo, and Oyo expressed deep concern over the continued captivity of the victims more than a month after the incident. Titled “Gone for Too Long, Bring Them Home Now,” the statement conveys both outrage and anguish over what the bishops described as a worsening national security crisis.
“It is over a whole month since 39 learners and seven teachers were kidnapped,” the bishops said, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. They drew particular attention to the vulnerability of the youngest victims, noting that some of the abducted children are as young as two years old.
According to the bishops, these children—many of whom scarcely understand the circumstances of their abduction—have been forced to endure harsh conditions in captivity. “Those children, who barely understood what happened to them, have now lived for over a month under the harshest conditions, with no roof over their heads, no good nutrition, and completely exposed to the elements in the forest,” the statement read.
The Church leaders painted a grim picture of the attackers, describing them as “the most vicious and merciless criminals.” They noted that the May 15 assault was marked by extreme violence, including the killing of a teacher and a motorcycle rider during the attack. The bishops also reported that another teacher was beheaded while in captivity, an act they condemned as “barbaric.”
Beyond the immediate tragedy, the bishops used their statement to criticize what they see as a pattern of government failure to address escalating insecurity across Nigeria. Despite what they described as repeated assurances from both federal and state authorities, they argued that the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate.
“We Catholic bishops of Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province, therefore, can no longer simply keep quiet,” they declared. “No one deserves the excruciating weight, the painful lament, and the unspeakable suffering thus inflicted on the families and relatives of all the 46 abducted people so far.”
The bishops characterized the abduction as a grave violation of human dignity and social order, expressing frustration at what they termed the apparent helplessness of authorities to prevent recurring kidnappings. Their statement reflects a broader concern about the normalisation of such incidents and the psychological toll on affected communities.
In underscoring the gravity of the current situation, the bishops drew parallels with past abductions in Nigeria, including the widely known case of 276 schoolgirls kidnapped from a Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014. More than a decade later, they noted, many of those girls remain unaccounted for.
“We note painfully that so many years later, many of them are still not free,” the bishops said, warning against allowing the Oriire abduction to follow a similar trajectory. They issued a direct appeal to both the Oyo State Government and the federal government to act decisively and prevent another prolonged national tragedy.
“We passionately plead… in the name of all that is good, that this should not be the fate of the Oriire abductees,” they added.
The statement concludes as both a call to action and a reflection of growing public frustration with insecurity in the country. As families continue to wait anxiously for news of their loved ones, the bishops’ appeal amplifies mounting pressure on authorities to deliver swift and effective results.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from ACI Africa
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