Oriire Abduction: It Is Not Much Ado About Nothing — Nigerians Deserve Answers ||▪︎ By Dr Peter Akande
11th of September,2026
By Dr Peter Akande
The title “Much Ado About Nothing?” may suggest that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Oriire abduction is unnecessary or exaggerated. I respectfully disagree. When children are abducted from a school, their release raises unanswered questions, and no clear arrests or prosecution follow, it is certainly not “much ado about nothing.”
The circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent release deserve serious scrutiny. The fact that the children were eventually released without reported bloodshed is, in itself, something that should interest investigators. It should not be used to dismiss the incident; rather, it should compel us to ask how the release was achieved.
The accounts attributed to some of the children make the matter even more deserving of investigation. If, during interviews after their release, the children said that their abductors appeared happy on the day they were released, that is a detail the commission should not ignore. What made the abductors happy? What happened immediately before the release? Was there negotiation? Was ransom involved? Was there an intervention by security agencies or other intermediaries?
These questions are not accusations. They are legitimate questions in a matter involving the safety of children and the security of Oyo State.
Most importantly, why have there been no reported arrests of the perpetrators?
A judicial commission should not be established merely to produce another report. It should establish the facts surrounding the incident, examine the security arrangements before and during the attack, investigate the circumstances of the release and determine whether there were failures of intelligence, coordination or response.
The commission should also hear directly from the children, their parents, teachers, community members and relevant security personnel. Their testimonies should be carefully compared with available evidence so that speculation can give way to facts.
At the same time, we must avoid turning the tragedy into a partisan political battle. The children abducted were not APC children, APM children or children of any political party. They were children of Oyo State. Their safety should therefore transcend party politics.
Government deserves constructive criticism where there are unanswered questions, while the opposition must also avoid exploiting the pain of families for political advantage.
The real test of the Judicial Commission will be its independence and the willingness of government to implement its findings, even if those findings are uncomfortable.
If the commission establishes negligence, those responsible should be held accountable. If it identifies weaknesses in school security, those weaknesses must be corrected. If it uncovers information about the abductors and the circumstances of the release, that information should lead to appropriate law-enforcement action.
Therefore, this is not “Much Ado About Nothing.”
It is about abducted children.
It is about frightened parents.
It is about the security of our schools.
It is about the confidence of citizens in government and security institutions.
And it is about the unanswered questions surrounding how those children were abducted and subsequently released.
The people of Oyo State deserve the truth—not rumours, not political propaganda and not a report that will eventually gather dust.
Let the commission investigate thoroughly.
Let the truth come out.
Let those responsible be identified where evidence supports it. And let the lessons from Oriire be used to ensure that no other schoolchildren become victims of such an incident.
Oriire is not much ado about nothing. Oriire is a serious security matter that demands answers, accountability and action.
