The Nigerian Baptist Convention has condemned the abduction of 46 persons, including a two-year-old toddler, by suspected terrorists in communities within Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The Convention described the incident as tragic, barbaric and a reflection of the worsening insecurity confronting the country.
In a statement issued by Rev. Ebenezer Durodola, on behalf of the President of the Convention, Rev. Dr. Israel Adelani Akanji, the church disclosed that the victims comprised seven teachers and 39 students abducted from Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. The church added that among those abducted was a two-year-old girl identified as Christianah Akanbi of Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. According to the statement, four motorcycles were also stolen during the attack, with three taken from Yawota community residents and one from the high school.
Akanji, while reacting to the incident in Ibadan, lamented the plight of the abducted children and teachers, noting that they were being exposed to harsh weather conditions in captivity without shelter. He also revealed that some teachers reportedly lost their lives during the attack, while those kidnapped were enduring severe hardship and traumatic conditions in the bush. “The Nigerian Baptist Convention is particularly grieved by this occurrence, especially the condition of the children and toddler who are innocently held captive and exposed daily to rainfall and harsh weather,” he said.
The cleric recalled previous attacks on Baptist institutions across the country, including the abduction of 120 students and a matron from Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, in July 2021. He said repeated appeals to end kidnappings, killings and destruction of churches and schools had yielded little result, adding that Nigerians were gradually losing patience over the persistent insecurity.
Akanji urged governments at all levels to adopt decisive and coordinated measures to address the security crisis, stressing that mere statements were no longer sufficient. He charged security agencies to deploy more robust and technology-driven strategies against criminal groups terrorising communities. The Baptist leader also called on traditional rulers, community leaders and civil society organisations to collaborate with government in tackling insecurity, insisting that local participation in community security had become imperative. He renewed calls for the establishment of state police, adequately equipped with sophisticated weapons and operating in collaboration with local security outfits. “The Federal Government should also seek international assistance where necessary to check the influx of criminal elements into Nigeria,” he added.
Akanji further lamented what he described as the growing brutality against innocent children, warning that such acts would attract divine judgment. He likened Nigeria’s current condition to the biblical victim on the Jerusalem-Jericho road, saying the nation had become “wounded, bleeding and dying” due to incessant violence and insecurity. The Convention, however, commiserated with families who lost loved ones in the attack and assured the government of its support in efforts aimed at rescuing the abducted victims safely. It also called on Christians and Nigerians of goodwill to intensify prayers for the safe return of the captives and restoration of peace in the country.
