Oyo State government urges teachers to lift school shutdown amid kidnapping crisis

The Oyo State Executive Council, represented by Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade, has appealed to the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) to suspend its school‑boycott and allow pupils to return to public classrooms. The NUT imposed the shutdown after a May 15 abduction in Oriire Local Government Area that saw 46 people—39 children and seven teachers—kidnapped, a teacher killed on the spot and another beheaded while in captivity.

The council announced the release of ₦8.77 billion for the first tranche of a ₦23.01 billion programme to purchase textbooks in numeracy, literacy, mathematics, English and basic science for primary and junior secondary schools, a project coordinated with the Universal Basic Education Commission and the World Bank. Successful distribution will qualify Oyo State for a results‑based disbursement of US$2 per student per subject. The 2026 state budget was also increased to ₦1.102 trillion, and the council noted commendation from the AfCFTA Secretary‑General for the state's trade‑initiative progress.