“An attack on Nigeria’s future” – Senate reacts to abduction of students in Oyo, Borno

The leadership of the Nigerian Senate has condemned the abduction of 87 students and teachers in separate incidents in Oyo and Borno states within 24 hours.

The Nigerian Senate described these attacks as a direct assault on Nigeria’s future.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the leader of the Senate and Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made the condemnation in a statement issued on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

Bamidele expressed concerns over the abductions which occurred despite the $30 million raised globally in 2014 to secure public and private schools across the country.

The statement signed by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Bamidele said these abductions highlight the urgent need to accelerate the establishment of state police to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.

Suspected gunmen had on Friday abducted 45 students and teachers from Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

In a similar attack, Boko Haram terrorists, on Friday, May 15, 2026, invaded the Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 students.

Bamidele described the abductions as “a tragic national concern that negates our national development indices.”

He vowed that the 10th National Assembly would use legislative tools to tackle the menace.

He also noted that the process of amending the 1999 Constitution to enable state police is at an advanced stage in the National Assembly and will soon be transmitted to State Houses of Assembly for the required two-thirds approval.

The Senate Leader appealed to state governments and legislatures to ensure that they rise above partisan, ethnic, or religious considerations by treating the state police proposal as a matter of strategic national importance.

“As soon as the National Assembly resumes plenaries on June 2, we will perfect all outstanding legislative initiatives that have been introduced to decisively address security challenges in the federation,” Bamidele said.

In addition, he highlighted two key initiatives: the ongoing constitutional review for state police and the amendment of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, aimed at strengthening deterrence and the justice system.

Also, pending the full implementation of state police, the Senate Leader called on federal and state governments to fully enforce the Safe School Initiative as an immediate measure.

He linked these attacks to the crisis of Nigeria’s 18.3 million out-of-school children, stressing the need for concerted efforts to secure schools and reverse the trend.

“We cannot and must not allow it to continue. At the National Assembly, we will rise against this trend and put an end to it through the instrumentality of legislation,” Bamidele added.