Worsening insecurity and the push for state police will top the Senate’s agenda as lawmakers resume plenary Tuesday, following national outrage over the May 15 abduction of 39 pupils and seven teachers in Oyo State.
The Senate will return from a three-week recess as pressure mounts on the 10th National Assembly to act on kidnapping and policing reforms, with some lawmakers citing the Oyo school raid as proof that “no region is safe in Nigeria.”
On May 15, gunmen on motorcycles stormed three schools in Oriire LGA — Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle; Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School; and L.A. Primary School, Esinle — abducting 46 persons.
Seven teachers were taken, including Principal Rachael Alamu and mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, who was later killed in captivity. Among the 39 pupils abducted was two-year-old Christianah Akanbi.
In videos released by the kidnappers, Principal Alamu begged President Bola Tinubu and Governor Seyi Makinde to “dialogue” with the abductors, warning that forceful rescue attempts had led to threats to kill more hostages.
Teachers across Oyo State staged protests last week, demanding urgent rescue of their colleagues and pupils. The Nigeria Teachers Congress said children “as young as two and three years old” were being held “in the bush… exposed to rain and harsh weather”.
Governor Seyi Makinde said that Oyo State was “ready to listen” to the abductors, who have refused to negotiate with families and insist on speaking only with him.
The Oyo incident, coming days after the abduction of 42 students in Borno, has revived debate on the State Police Bill. The bill seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to allow states to establish their own police forces.
Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, described the Oyo and Borno abductions as “an attack on the future of Nigeria” and said the 10th National Assembly was “nearing completion” of constitutional amendments for State Police.
President Tinubu had appealed to the National Assembly to amend the constitution to establish state police across Nigeria, declaring decentralization “critical” to tackling evolving security threats like terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping.
Tinubu argued that a decentralized system is necessary to strengthen grassroots security, enabling states to respond more swiftly to localized challenges and take over forests from marauders.
