The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has condemned the recent kidnapping and killing of pupils and teachers in Oyo State, describing the incident and similar attacks in other parts of Yorubaland as avoidable and unacceptable. The group’s president, Mr Wasiu Afolabi, accused governors across the South-West and other Yoruba-speaking states of failing to adequately respond to the threat of insecurity and of ignoring earlier warnings raised by the organisation.
In a statement, Afolabi described the kidnapping, killing, and beheading of defenceless Yoruba citizens as highly provocative, insisting that such acts would not be tolerated by the group.He further called on the government to allow and adequately equip the OPC and other self-determination groups to confront the insecurity, which he claimed was being introduced into Yorubaland by armed groups from the northern part of the country. According to him, Yorubaland is under severe threat, alleging that repeated warnings from the group had been ignored by political leaders who failed to act on the situation in time.
Afolabi also said residents had been misled by a false sense of security, while the real danger of armed groups and collaborators continued to grow across communities. He stated that the continued attacks have made it unsafe for children to attend school, for farmers to work, and for residents to travel freely within their communities. The OPC leader also criticised security agencies for allegedly responding harshly to protesters in areas affected by kidnappings, suggesting that such actions raised concerns about their neutrality.
Reacting to the killing of a kidnapped teacher, identified as Mr Michael Oyedokun, Afolabi expressed outrage, questioning the circumstances that led to the victim’s death after abduction. The group warned that the continued presence of armed groups in forests would further strengthen their operations and allow them to carry out more attacks against civilians if not urgently addressed. OPC urged governors in the South-West to mobilise vigilante, hunter, and other local security groups to support formal security agencies, calling for urgent action to restore safety in affected areas. It also called for the acceleration of state police creation and urged governments to better equip local security structures in the interim to help combat insecurity more effectively.
