The deputy inspector-general of police in charge of the southwest zone, DIG Adegoke Fayoade, has said that security agencies are working hard to secure the release of the schoolchildren and teachers abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
DIG Fayoade said their freedom was imminent.
Fayoade, who is also the DIG in charge of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), gave the assurance during a visit to the Lagos State Police Command as part of his operational tour of the Southwest zone ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu.
“All agencies, including government, are working very hard, and I can assure you that within the shortest possible time, the children and their teachers will be free,” he said.
The assurance is coming amid protests from Ibadan residents who blocked Iwo Road yesterday morning demanding the immediate rescue of the 39 pupils and six teachers.
The protesters in large numbers, displayed placards with different messages, such as “Government Must Act -End Kidnapping in Oyo State”; “Free the Ogbomoso Kidnapped Victims”; “Oyo Is Bleeding”, and “End Insecurity Now”.
They listed their demands as safer roads and communities, protection for farmers, traders, students and families, and the restoration of peace, security and justice across the state.
During the demonstration, Muslim participants observed the afternoon prayers on the road, seeking divine intervention for the safe return of the abductees and an end to kidnapping, other criminal activities in Oyo State.
Speakers at the protest expressed concern over what they described as escalating cases of kidnapping in parts of the state, warning that residents now lived in fear due to criminal activities.
They urged the state government, security agencies and relevant stakeholders to intensify rescue efforts and strengthen security measures to prevent further abductions.
Security personnel monitored the gathering to ensure order. The protesters maintained that the swift rescue of the abducted Oriire pupils and teachers should remain a priority, insisting that every effort must be made to restore public confidence in the state’s security architecture.
DIG Fayoade said the police had commenced recruitment of 40,000 additional personnel to boost internal security.
He said observations and feedbacks from the tour would be taken back to the IGP for deliberation by the Force Management Team, noting that manpower improvement, welfare and logistics were top priority for the Disu’s led police.
“The mission of the IG is to motivate the men to perform optimally, and welfare is paramount,” he said.
Fayoade, while addressing officers of the command, ordered a tougher offensive against armed robbery, cultism and other violent crimes.
He warned that criminal elements should find no safe haven in the state, reminding them of Lagos’ importance to the country’s economic wellbeing.
He directed operatives to intensify intelligence gathering, strengthen community policing and improve collaboration with other security agencies to tackle emerging security threats.
