It is with great relief and joy that I, like other Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora, received the news of the rescue of the students and teachers that were kidnapped in Oyo State recently.
According to different reports, 39 students and seven teachers were kidnapped in the early hours of Friday, 15th May, 2026 from two schools in Oriire local government area.
The victims are residents of some communities in the local government area. Historically, the incident was the first mass abduction in Oyo State and the entire Southwestern Nigeria.
During the incident, two people; a commercial motorcyclist and a teacher reportedly lost their lives. Available evidence also showed that one of the teachers was also killed by the kidnappers a few days after the abduction.
On Friday, 10th July, 2026, the news many Nigerians have been expecting in the last few weeks broke. It was the news of the rescue of the abducted victims.
Spokesman for President Bola Tinubu, Mr Bayo Onanuga who broke the news on his X handle said that the victims were successfully rescued without any collateral damage on the part of the victims and the rescue team.
It was also stated that some of the kidnappers have been arrested while some of them were neutralised. The operation was carried out by the combined team consisting of the Police, Army, Department of State Service and other security personnel.
At this point, like others have done, I want to commend the efforts of the federal government led by President Bola Tinubu, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, groups and individuals for the roles they played to ensure safe return of the victims.
I also want to commend the efforts of our security agencies, men of Nigeria Police Force, the Military, Department of State Service, local security outfits, traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders for their professionalism in the rescue operation.
I wish to implore governments at all levels to deploy the necessary machinery to avoid recurrence and ensure safety of lives and properties of citizens in Nigeria at all times. It is a well known fact that the major responsibility of any government is to protect the lives of the people and their properties within its territory.
I want to specially commend Nigerian media, media houses, journalists at home and abroad, and foreign media houses for their professional reportage and coverage of the proceedings that led to the rescue operation.
I want to charge Nigerian media to continue to perform their roles without fear or favour. The major roles of the mass media are to educate, inform and entertain members of the public. As journalists, we should continue to perform our roles in line with the ethics of the profession and in line with the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly section 22 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amendment) which encourages the mass media to hold people in positions of authorities accountable.
It is also worthy of note to say that the rescue of the victims has attracted several reactions among the political office holders, groups and individuals which prompted me to add my own voice as a social worker and journalist.
What next after the rescue operation?
One vital thing that is important after the rescue operation is to provide the necessary healthcare services for the victims.
There is a need to give the victims the needed medical attention in case one may be suffering from any ailment as a result of the incident. The services of trained physicians and other health personnel are needed at this point.
The next thing is to reunite the victims with their respective families. Their families have been expecting them since they were abducted and they will be glad to see them again.
Next after that is to provide psychosocial support for the victims and their families. This is where the service of social workers who have been trained to rise up to the occasion is required.
Social Work is not just an academic discipline but an important profession that serves the individuals, groups and communities that are in distress and disadvantaged positions and need social and emotional support in order to perform optimally in their daily activities.
There are three methods of social work which includes social casework, group work and community organisation or community development. All these methods in line with the principles and ethics of the profession will be applied by the social workers who are assigned to provide their services to their clients.
One major core role of social workers in this matter is to provide psychosocial support for the victims after their release. The service of social workers will be relevant in this case because they will help to provide the needed social and emotional support for the victims. This will ally their fear and ensure quick recovery from the emotional trauma experienced during the abduction and while in captivity.
The social workers have the mandate to provide social and emotional support for the victims and their families at home in order to ensure their total realignment with the society. These are the people who have not seen their families since 15th May and were rescued eight weeks after. They need the support of social workers who will provide psychosocial support more than any other things at the moment.
Social workers are the professionals who have the knowledge, expertise and the skills to provide psychosocial support for the victims of Oriire abduction and other victims of humanitarian crisis and other vulnerable groups in the society.
At this point, I would like to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and Oyo State Government to involve and engage social workers in these processes.
Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW) the umbrella body for all social workers in Nigeria is an affiliate of International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and has enough members that are ready to assist in the provision of psychosocial support for the victims at all times.
Engagement of social workers in these processes will help to ensure total realignment of the victims back to the society and foster quick recovery of the affected victims and their families from the ugly incident.
. Adebayo, a social worker cum journalist is the National Public Relations Officer of Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW) and doctoral candidate in Social Work at University of Ibadan, can be reached via: Email: [email protected]; 08138044276; and X: @musliudeen.
