Akingbade Urges Tinubu to Prioritise Release of Abducted Yawota, Borno Pupils

Civil Society advocate, Theophilous Akingbade has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently review Nigeria’s security architecture and secure the release of school children recently abducted in Yawota, Oyo State, and Borno State.

Speaking with journalists in Ile Kongo, Ogbomoso, on Monday, Akingbade congratulated Tinubu on his victory at the All Progressives Congress presidential primary held in Abuja over the weekend.

He, however, said the president’s immediate priority should be the safe return of the abducted pupils.

“The release of these innocent school children should be your priority and must not be postponed until after the 2027 elections,” Akingbade said.

He questioned the fate of the forest guards reportedly recruited and trained to secure rural areas, asking where the weapons purchased for them were and how many had been deployed to Oyo State and other states.

“While this ticket may be important to your political future, is it equally important to the school children kidnapped in Yawota and Borno?”

“Nigerians deserve answers. If none of the forest guards were deployed to Oyo State, Nigerians deserve to know why,” he asked.

Akingbade warned against delaying decisive action until more lives were lost, saying no one could guarantee how many of the abducted children would live to see the 2027 elections.

“The safety of innocent citizens, especially school children, must never be postponed. Security must come first,” he said.

The call adds to growing pressure on the federal government to address rising cases of school abductions and insecurity in parts of the North and South-West.