The following individuals were part of the delegation, which was headed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: Sunday Dare, National Security Adviser (NSA), Christopher Musa, Tunji Disu, Inspector General of Police (IGP), and National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The group went to the settlements of Esiele and Yawota in Oyo State’s Oriire Local Government Area, where on May 15, 2026, bandits kidnapped teachers, students, and pupils.
The head of state, Kabiyesi Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, was hosting the group at his palace in Ogbomoso. Mary Oyedokun and her two children were the recipients of the delegation’s condolences. The bandits posted a video of her husband’s horrific beheading on May 17, 2026. He was a maths teacher.
The distressed communities were informed by the delegation that President Tinubu is deeply concerned about the kidnapping and will do all in his power to ensure the safe return of the abductees.
President Tinubu has authorised the employment of 1,000 Forest Guards in Oyo State, as the delegation revealed. This is part of the government’s immediate actions to enhance security in the impacted communities.
The president had ordered a specialised security team with advanced capabilities to step up their attempts to get the students and teachers who were abducted back, the delegation said, just to be safe.
Without a doubt, this package of actions is strong and remarkable. The steps urge that security agents search the neighbourhoods where terror had been unleashed and capture their evil culprits, going beyond the president’s previous pedestrian and ordinary directives.
But these directives, particularly his consent to the instantaneous recruiting of Forest Guards, bring to mind a mentality of America’s zany past. What a fascinating time in American history that brings to mind, when the country was full with people who were willing to “send in the marines” to take on any problem.
Recruiting and deploying Forest Guards has been the easiest solution to practically every kidnapping in recent times. And that’s even though their ability to kill or dissuade the terrorists is questionable.
The abduction of these students and teachers occurred sixteen days prior to our delegation’s travel to Oyo State, which is extremely frustrating. It also occurred fourteen days after the terrorists posted the video depicting the brutal beheading of Mr. Michael Oyedokun.
It is surprising that the President did not dispatch a delegation immediately after the senseless murder of the teacher and the outrage it provoked to express condolences and empathy to the two communities and the victim’s immediate family.
To the delight of most Nigerians, such a thoughtful and charitable act would have been unexpected. The president has rarely shown weight and compassion in our times of loss, tragedy, or suffering, despite being the nation’s chief comforter and mourner. If he does show there, it’s usually to summon the injured to his imposing and imperial presence or because he’s late.
To make matters worse, the President might have shown empathy for the people of Oyo State by sending a powerful delegation, but instead, he has openly ignored the Mussa community of Askira-Uba in Borno State.
The Primary and Junior Secondary Schools of Mussa in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State were raided by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists on May 15, 2026, abducting at least 42 students and teachers.
Regarding the Oyo State kidnapping, it may be said that the terrorists murdered a teacher in a horrific way, adding to the agony experienced by the impacted communities and all of Nigeria. However, the stolen children in Mussa, Askira-Uba, suffered unimaginable anguish.
Reportedly, the thieves rode away on motorcycles using them as human shields to avoid being shot at by security personnel. The kidnapped children ranged in age from two to four, which is even worse.
President Buhari is dodging charges that his administration is hastily erecting on the blatantly nepotistic foundation laid by his predecessor by deciding to dispatch a delegation solely to Oyo State.
He might be telling the people of Borno State that their lives don’t count, whether he intends to or not. Or he might think they’re not worth as much as he thinks they are.
Peter Haruna Waba, a councillor for Mussa Ward, summed up the feeling of being ignored and undervalued when he said, “Why should we be treated differently?” Having cast our ballots for the President, we are Nigerians. The kidnapping of American children deserves the same level of attention from the federal government.
Regardless of whether Borno State residents voted for the president or not, he is still bound by his office and the oath he took to defend the Constitution to be a father figure to everyone, a healer for the wounded, and a defender of Nigerians from the evildoers.
Plus, more lives have been lost in Borno State than any other state over the past sixteen years due to it being the core of our insurgency. In addition, on April 15, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram militants. Terrorists cruelly killed the Chief Imam of Ngoshe, a town 191 kilometres from Mussa, in March of this year.
At Ngoshe, Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists kidnapped almost 400 people, and no one has come forward to rescue them despite the high number of casualties among both civilians and troops.
These facts should prompt the president to dispatch a powerful delegation to Askira-Uba to show sympathy for the Mussa people. They would feel more at home and their suffering would subside if you did this.
The President should announce similar measures for Mussa and Borno States if he is serious about advancing the noble causes of justice and fairness. These measures were previously implemented in Oyo State. Indeed, the gander reaps the benefits of the soarer.