The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has strongly condemned the coordinated daylight abduction of schoolchildren, teachers, and school officials in Oyo State.
The Christian body described the incident as a “national disgrace” that signals a dangerous spread of organized crime into the Southwest region, leaving pupils, teachers and rural communities increasingly vulnerable to armed gangs.
This reaction was contained in a statement issued by the President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh and released on Monday.
The association said the continued failure to dismantle kidnapping networks and armed criminal groups was steadily normalising terror across the country.
“When children are hunted in classrooms, silence becomes complicity and delay becomes dangerous.
“Nigeria must act decisively to defeat these criminal networks before more innocent lives are destroyed,” Archbishop Okoh stated.
CAN said it was outraged that heavily armed attackers were able to storm several schools, terrorise residents, kill innocent people and abduct pupils and teachers in broad daylight.
“This is not merely another security incident. It is a national disgrace and a frightening reminder that organised criminal violence is spreading into parts of the country once considered relatively secure,” it added.
The association also mourned the reported killing of an assistant headmaster said to have tried to shield the children during the attack, alongside other victims caught up in the violence.
“Their sacrifice must never be forgotten, and those responsible must be identified, apprehended and prosecuted without hesitation,” CAN stated.
According to the association, many Nigerians have grown weary of “condolences without consequences and promises without protection” as kidnappings and violent attacks continue to spread into new parts of the country.
“What was once concentrated in parts of northern Nigeria is now spreading dangerously into the South-West and other regions, threatening national stability, public confidence and the safety of future generations,” CAN said.
It noted that the images and reports emerging from the attacks, including desperate pleas from terrified teachers and helpless mothers, reflected a national tragedy that no responsible society should accept.
“No parent should ever have to watch helplessly as their child is dragged into the forest by gunmen. No teacher should have to choose between educating children and risking abduction or death,” it said.
CAN called on the Federal Government, security agencies and the Oyo State Government to move beyond routine statements and deploy every available resource to secure the unconditional release of the abducted victims and arrest those behind the attacks.
“Safe school initiatives must no longer exist only on paper while students and teachers remain exposed to terror.
“Rural communities, forest corridors and known criminal hideouts must be aggressively secured, monitored and reclaimed without delay,” Archbishop Okoh added.
The association also expressed solidarity with affected families, churches, school communities and residents of Oriire Local Government Area, while praying for the safe return of the abducted victims and comfort for families mourning the attack.
