Parents and relatives of pupils rescued after 56 days in captivity are hesitant to return the children to school, despite expressing gratitude for their safe release from Oriire Local Government Area in Oyo State.
The abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when gunmen stormed three schools near Ogbomoso. They took 39 pupils and seven teachers, including a principal, from Community Grammar School in Ahoro-Esiele, Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, and L.A.
Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele.
The captives spent weeks in forests around the Old Oyo National Park before security forces rescued them. Two teachers died during the initial attack, but the remaining victims eventually returned home.
Many families say the psychological toll remains severe. Rather than risk further trauma, some parents plan to enrol their children elsewhere and won't send them back unless safety improves dramatically.
"What happened has changed everything for us," relative Fausat Akindele told reporters. "Parents need to be convinced that the schools are now safe before they can comfortably allow their children to return."
Basirat Adigun, another family member, emphasized parental anxiety hasn't faded. "No parent wants to take any risk after what these children went through," she said, stressing that concrete security measures must come first.
Adenike, whose sister's children were among those seized, prioritized the victims' emotional recovery over immediate schooling. "Although education remains important, the emotional well-being of the children and my sister's confidence in their safety must come first before any decision is made on their return to the school," she explained.
She added that returning children to the same location immediately would be difficult without certainty of adequate protection in place.
Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation Dotun Oyelade acknowledged parents' concerns as reasonable. He said the government understood why families remained reluctant given the emotional trauma inflicted on their children.
The commissioner's remarks came as displaced families grapple with rebuilding confidence in institutions they once trusted with their children's care and safety.
Security remains the central issue preventing normalcy at the three affected schools. Until authorities demonstrate tangible protective measures, many families intend to keep children away regardless of when classes resume.
The 56-day ordeal left lasting scars across the community. Families lost hope multiple times that loved ones would return alive, fundamentally altering how they view school safety in the region.
Community members and parents have called on government and security agencies to implement visible protection strategies before expecting pupils to return. Without such assurances, enrollment at the affected schools may suffer significantly.
