RismadarVoice Reporters
October 5, 2026
The Oyo State Government has raised concerns over a series of kidnapping incidents involving residents of the state, questioning whether the pattern points to a coordinated attempt to target Oyo.
Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, raised the concern on Monday while reacting to reports of another abduction involving people travelling towards Oyo State.
Oyelade said the state had witnessed what he described as three unusual kidnapping incidents within four months, prompting questions about whether the developments were coincidental or part of a wider pattern.
The commissioner referred specifically to an initial report that about 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, had been abducted while travelling to Oke-Ogun in Oyo State.
However, the Sokoto State Government and the management of the college have since disputed that account, saying no current student of Gamji College of Health Technology was abducted.
Sokoto authorities said the person linked to the incident was Halima Sokeni, a former student of Gamji College of Nursing Sciences, who graduated as a midwife in September and was reportedly abducted alongside other passengers while travelling through Niger State on October 1.
The precise number and identities of the other passengers involved have not been independently established.
Despite the conflicting accounts surrounding the latest incident, Oyelade said the frequency of kidnappings involving Oyo residents had become a source of concern to the state government.
He recalled the May 15 abduction of students and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area, who reportedly spent 56 days in captivity.
Following that incident, Governor Seyi Makinde constituted a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on July 31 to investigate the circumstances surrounding the abduction.
According to the commissioner, the panel recently submitted its report, after which further reports of kidnappings involving Oyo residents emerged.
Oyelade questioned whether the timing was coincidental and called for closer scrutiny of the incidents.
He stressed that Oyo residents were entitled to pursue education, livelihoods and civic activities without fear of abduction or other security threats.
The state government called for increased vigilance and greater attention to the security of residents, particularly students and other people travelling across state boundaries.
Authorities have yet to publicly establish evidence showing that the reported incidents form part of a coordinated campaign specifically targeting Oyo State.
