The Oyo State Government has announced an indefinite, statewide suspension of all school excursions, field trips, sports competitions, and external activities following a deadly, coordinated bandit attack on multiple schools in the Oriire Local Government Area.
The sweeping safety directive arrived on Friday as burial rites commenced for 49-year-old teacher, Adesiyan Adegboye, who was killed when armed bandits invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, last week.
The suspension was finalized via an official ministry circular signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Mrs. B.T. Oyinloye.
Addressed to all state education chairs, inspectors, and school administrators, the mandate overrides all previously granted approvals and takes immediate effect. “The safety of our children is non-negotiable and takes precedence over all academic and extracurricular activities,” the directive stated, ordering school heads to keep students strictly within school walls during hours and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
The government’s drastic measures follow harrowing details confirmed by Governor Seyi Makinde regarding the scale of the coordinated raids.
According to state authorities, bandits abducted seven students from Community Secondary School, alongside 18 pupils and seven teachers from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School.
The violent assault threw Ogbomoso and neighboring communities into a panic, sparking widespread fear that led many parents to hastily withdraw their children from classes amid rumors of further infiltration, including false reports targeting the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology.
As the state tightens its security protocols, the local community turned its focus to honoring the victims. Mourners gathered on Friday at the Ayegun Baptist Church in Ogbomoso, where Mr. Adegboye was laid in state ahead of his burial at his Owolake residence.
The ongoing grief, paired with mounting anxiety over the fate of the remaining abducted teachers and students, has left residents demanding heightened security infrastructure to protect educational institutions across Oyo State.
