The Oyo State Executive Council has appealed to the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to discontinue its indefinite strike and allow public schools across the state to reopen, highlighting the severe social and economic implications of an extended academic shutdown.

The government’s appeal followed a state executive council meeting, with Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade reassuring the union that the administration is actively deploying strategic measures to resolve the security situation and secure the safe release of those still held in captivity.

The nationwide academic disruption began after the NUT directed public school teachers across Oyo State to withdraw from classrooms following a coordinated mass abduction on May 15, 2026, in Oriire Local Government Area.

Armed bandits stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, alongside Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, abducting 46 individuals, including 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers. The security crisis deepened after a teacher, Joel Adesiyan, was killed during the initial assault, and a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was subsequently beheaded by the captors in a viral video that triggered nationwide outrage and protests by labour unions.

Responding to the government’s pleas, the Oyo State Wing of the NUT has firmly hinged the resumption of academic activities on the visible implementation of concrete grassroots security frameworks. State NUT Secretary Olukayode Salami explained that the continuous detention of the victims, coupled with the brutal killing of their colleagues, has left teachers psychologically unstable and terrified to return to work. The union maintains that while classrooms cannot remain shut indefinitely, schools will only reopen once the government establishes dedicated security formations, regular patrols, and active intelligence-gathering hubs, particularly in vulnerable border communities and forest areas surrounding Oriire.