The Christian Association of Nigeria has strongly condemned the abduction of schoolchildren, teachers and school officials during coordinated attacks on schools in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, describing the incident as a “national disgrace” and a dangerous sign of worsening insecurity across the country.
In a press statement issued on Monday and signed by CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the association expressed outrage over what it called the continued collapse of security in parts of the country once considered relatively safe.
According to the statement, armed attackers stormed multiple schools in broad daylight, killing innocent residents and abducting dozens of pupils and teachers.
CAN lamented that Nigerian children could no longer learn in safety, warning that the spread of organised criminal violence into the South-West now threatens national stability and public confidence.
“The invasion of schools by armed criminals in broad daylight, the murder of innocent citizens, and the forceful abduction of defenceless children represent a horrifying collapse of security and a direct assault on the conscience of our nation,” the statement read.
The association also mourned the reported killing of an assistant headmaster who allegedly died while trying to protect the children during the attack.
CAN noted that Nigerians were becoming increasingly frustrated by repeated government assurances without visible results, saying citizens were “exhausted by condolences without consequences and promises without protection.”
The group urged the Federal Government, security agencies and the Oyo State Government to move beyond routine condemnations and immediately deploy all available intelligence and security resources to secure the release of the abducted victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
It further called for stronger protection of rural communities, forest corridors and schools, insisting that safe school initiatives must go beyond policy documents and translate into real protection for students and teachers.
The statement concluded with a warning that continued silence and delayed action could embolden criminal networks.
“When children are hunted in their classrooms, silence becomes complicity and delay becomes dangerous,” CAN stated. “Nigeria must act decisively to defeat these criminal networks before more innocent lives are destroyed.”
The latest attack has renewed concerns over the growing wave of kidnappings and violent attacks across Nigeria, with many citizens increasingly calling for stronger community protection measures and urgent reforms in the nation’s security architecture.
