Ogbomosho, Oyo State – Tensions have boiled over in Ogbomosho as residents openly declare they will no longer give alms to Hausa/Fulani beggars, accusing them of using the charity to fund banditry, kidnappings, and the purchase of weapons amid a terrifying wave of school abductions in the area.…....
A viral video circulating on social media captures the raw frustration of locals who say decades of generosity have been repaid with bloodshed and terror. “We used to give you money, but now that you’ve started kidnapping us and using it to buy guns, we’ve stopped,” one resident states bluntly in the clip, reflecting a growing community consensus.
The outburst comes just days after armed gunmen on motorcycles invaded multiple schools in the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026. The attackers abducted several teachers and dozens of students, with one mathematics teacher reportedly beheaded. Victims, including a school principal and a nursing mother, have released desperate videos pleading for government intervention from the forest hideouts.
Residents and eyewitnesses claim many of the bandits speak Hausa, fueling suspicion and ethnic tensions. With recent abductions turning Ogbomosho into a ghost town—schools shutting down, parents withdrawing children, and businesses fleeing—locals say they can no longer afford to “sponsor their own enemies.”
One community member told reporters: “For years we showed compassion. Now our children are being taken from classrooms, teachers slaughtered, and families destroyed. Enough is enough. No more money for those who use it against us.”
The statement has sparked heated debates online, with many Nigerians supporting the residents’ decision while others warn against generalizing entire ethnic groups. Security experts, however, have long noted links between some itinerant beggars, almajiri networks, and criminal elements that exploit urban begging for intelligence gathering or funding operations.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has condemned the attacks, and President Bola Tinubu has vowed a swift response, with police relocating operational command to Ogbomosho. Yet many residents feel the government’s reaction remains too slow as fear grips the once-peaceful town.
Traditional leaders have even resorted to invoking ancestral deities and calling for prayers as they await the safe return of the abducted students and teachers.
This latest development highlights the deepening insecurity in Southwest Nigeria, where banditry—previously more associated with the North—has now taken root. As one viral comment put it: “Compassion has limits when your kindness funds your destruction.”
