RismadarVoice Reporters
May 19, 2026
Residents of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have turned to traditional spiritual intervention amid growing concern over the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers by suspected bandits.
A video circulating on Tuesday showed a traditional priest, identified as the Onisa of Esin Ele, Muraina Mutairo, performing rituals and invoking deities to protect the abducted victims and bring them home safely.
In the footage shared online, the priest was seen dressed in traditional attire while chanting incantations in the Yoruba language and calling on ancestral forces to hunt down the kidnappers and “overcome the enemies.”
During the ritual, a monarch also offered prayers, joining the priest in seeking the safe return of the abducted students and teachers without harm.
The priest further prayed that confusion and disagreement would strike the kidnappers’ camp and urged that security operatives apprehend the abductors dead or alive.
The development follows Friday’s attack on three schools in the local government area, where suspected bandits abducted about 30 students and teachers and reportedly killed two persons.
The incident occurred on May 16 when armed men invaded the community and attacked Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School.
