A member of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Aare Tolu Bankole, has commended President Bola Tinubu for the successful rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from Oriire Community in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, while calling for comprehensive reforms to strengthen security in schools across the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, Bankole described the rescue operation, which ended more than 50 days of captivity, as a demonstration of the effectiveness of coordinated security efforts under the Tinubu administration.
He praised the President for providing strategic leadership and also commended the Nigerian Army, the Office of the National Security Adviser, the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as local vigilantes, hunters and the Amotekun Corps for their roles in securing the victims’ release.
Bankole also condoled with the families of those who lost their lives during the incident, including Michael Oyedokun, and sympathised with the rescued pupils, teachers and their families over the trauma they endured.
The APC chieftain said the abduction underscored the urgent need to strengthen security around schools, warning that educational institutions had become soft targets for criminal elements.
He called on governments at all levels to adopt a new school safety model, including fencing schools, deploying trained security personnel, improving surveillance and emergency response systems, and integrating parents, traditional rulers, community development associations and local security outfits into a coordinated school protection framework.
Bankole also advocated the introduction of security awareness education for pupils and students through collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Education and relevant security agencies to improve preparedness for emergencies.
He urged Nigerians to support security agencies with timely and credible intelligence, saying community participation remained critical to tackling insecurity.
According to him, the successful rescue of the abducted pupils and teachers demonstrates that well-coordinated and adequately supported security operations can effectively protect lives and restore public confidence.
