Key points
- Teachers in public primary and secondary schools across Oyo State began an indefinite strike on Monday.
- The industrial action protests the abduction of teachers and pupils from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
- Armed men attacked the schools on May 15, abducting victims and killing two persons.
- Full compliance with the strike order was recorded across the capital city of Ibadan and other major zones of the state.
- Only candidates sitting for the ongoing WASSCE and teachers assigned to invigilation duties were permitted onto school premises.
Main Story
Teachers in public primary and secondary schools across Oyo State on Monday commenced an indefinite strike to protest the abduction of teachers and pupils from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of the state.
Reports indicate that armed men attacked Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esinle, as well as Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota near Ogbomoso on May 15, killing two persons and abducting several pupils and teachers.
Following the incident, the Oyo State wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) directed teachers to embark on an indefinite strike beginning June 1.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the situation in Ibadan reported full compliance with the directive across public schools.
Some of the schools visited included Anglican Junior Secondary School, Orita-Mefa; St. Patrick Secondary School, Bashorun; St. Louis Grammar School, Mokola; Oba Akinbiyi Model School; and St. Brigid’s School, Mokola.
Many students who arrived at school as early as 7:45 a.m. were turned back and asked to return home.
NAN also observed that only candidates sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and teachers involved in invigilation duties were allowed into school premises.
The strike was also observed in other parts of the state, including Oyo, Ogbomoso, Iseyin, Saki, Eruwa and Igboora in the Ibarapa zone, where public schools remained closed in compliance with the directive.
The Issues
- Securing the immediate release of abducted pupils and teachers taken during the violent school incursions.
- Managing complete structural shutdowns of public primary and secondary institutions across multiple regional zones.
- Minimizing long-term instructional delays for secondary students while maintaining strict safety blockades.
What’s Being Said
- Expressing shared professional commitment toward the missing victims and explaining the immediate workplace absence, Mrs Yemisi Alao told NAN: “We are all complying in solidarity with the affected teachers, pupils and their families. We pray that the abducted victims will regain their freedom and return home safely,”
- Outlining the proactive informational directives sent out to institutional actors to minimize logistical confusion at school gates, Mrs Tayo Olutayo said: “Only WAEC candidates and teachers involved in the examination process are expected to be in school,”
What’s Next
- Public schools will continue their indefinite closures across Oyo State as long as the NUT directive remains active.
- Examination officers will maintain limited school access exclusively for students completing their ongoing WASSCE papers.
- State security tracking will face pressure to locate the missing victims from Oriire Local Government Area.
Bottom Line Following a directive from the NUT, public school teachers across Oyo State have shut down classrooms in full compliance with an indefinite strike to protest the May 15 armed assault and abduction of pupils and staff in Oriire, freezing regular school operations while granting entry only to active WASSCE candidates and invigilators.
