Oyo School Attacks National Disgrace, CAN Tells FG Not to Surrender Schools to Bandits

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned the recent attacks on schools in Oyo State, warning the Federal Government against allowing armed criminals to take control of the nation’s educational spaces.

Reacting to the abduction of pupils, teachers and school officials during coordinated attacks on schools in the Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, CAN described the incidents as a national disgrace and a disturbing sign of worsening insecurity.

In a statement issued by its President, Daniel Okoh, titled “When Children Are Hunted In Classrooms, Silence Becomes Complicity,” the association said Nigeria must urgently confront the growing spread of organised criminal violence before more innocent lives are lost.

CAN said it was outraged that heavily armed attackers were able to invade multiple schools, terrorise communities, kill innocent persons and abduct dozens of pupils and teachers without immediate resistance.

According to the Christian body, the attacks represent more than just another security breach, stressing that they highlight the dangerous expansion of banditry and terrorism into parts of the country previously considered relatively safe.

“The Federal Government must not surrender its schools, children or future to armed criminals,” the statement said.

The association further insisted that the Safe School Initiative introduced to protect learning environments across the country must move beyond policy documents and become fully operational nationwide.

CAN urged security agencies to intensify efforts toward rescuing the abducted victims and dismantling criminal networks responsible for attacks on schools and communities.

The organisation also called on government at all levels to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve rural security and ensure that schools remain safe spaces for learning rather than targets for violent attacks.

CAN warned that continued attacks on schools could worsen Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis and deepen fear among parents and communities across the country.