The recent abduction of schoolchildren in Ogbomoso has triggered renewed calls for a coordinated regional security strategy across Yorubaland, with the Agenda for Yoruba Unity, Reconciliation and Integration (AYURI) issuing a strongly worded open letter urging governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, socio-cultural organisations, vigilante groups and retired security officers to unite against growing insecurity threatening education in the Southwest.
In the letter dated May 15, 2026, and signed by the Executive Vice President of AYURI, Prof. Ademola George Adegbolagun, the organisation described the attack as “a red line crossed,” warning that continued assaults on schools could destroy the educational legacy that has historically distinguished the Yoruba people in Nigeria.
The statement, released on behalf of the Yoruba Renaissance Program Planning Committee, framed the Ogbomoso incident not merely as an isolated criminal act but as an attack on the foundation of Yoruba civilisation and advancement.
“I write not in anger, but in urgency,” Adegbolagun stated. “The recent abduction of children in Ogbomoso is not merely a crime. It is an assault on the one industry that has defined the Yoruba for centuries: education.”
The group stressed that education remains the “equaliser, export and pride” of the Yoruba people, noting that generations of teachers, doctors, lawyers, traders and statesmen who shaped modern Nigeria emerged from the region’s long-standing investment in learning and scholarship.
According to AYURI, the growing insecurity around schools now threatens to reverse decades of educational and socio-economic progress across the Southwest.
The organisation warned that fear among parents and pupils could lead to declining school attendance, widespread disruption of economic activities and erosion of public trust within communities.
“A generation kept home is a generation condemned to poverty and subjugation,” the statement read, adding that attacks on schools also undermine the Yoruba cultural principle of Omoluwabi, which emphasises discipline, courage, integrity and communal responsibility.
As part of its recommendations, AYURI called on governors of the Southwest states — including Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun and Lagos — as well as Yoruba-speaking communities in Edo, Delta, Kwara and Kogi states, to declare the Ogbomoso abduction a “Southwest Security Emergency.”
The group urged state governments to strengthen intelligence sharing mechanisms across regional borders and immediately implement fortified security measures in schools located near forests and vulnerable border communities.
AYURI also advocated increased funding and legal support for the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, while recommending the integration of local vigilante groups and traditional hunters into a unified regional command structure.
“The Yoruba child has no party affiliation,” the letter declared, urging political leaders to put aside partisan interests in addressing the worsening security crisis.
Traditional rulers were also assigned a central role in the proposed security architecture.
The organisation appealed to Yoruba monarchs to reactivate indigenous intelligence systems through palace officials, market associations, community unions and local networks capable of monitoring suspicious movements in towns and villages.
“No stranger moves unseen in Yorubaland if the system works,” the statement said.
AYURI further called on traditional rulers to convene emergency security councils within their domains and collaborate directly with governors, Amotekun commanders and local security stakeholders.
Religious leaders across churches, mosques and traditional worship centres were equally urged to mobilise spiritual and moral support for the protection of schools and children.
The organisation proposed a coordinated day of prayers and fasting across Yorubaland and encouraged clerics to use sermons and public gatherings to condemn kidnapping and encourage intelligence sharing among residents.
The letter also recommended the establishment of Faith-Based School Protection Committees in partnership with parents’ associations and local security groups.
“The voice of faith still moves the people,” the organisation stated. “Let it be used for courage, not silence.”
AYURI extended its appeal to major Yoruba socio-cultural organisations, including Afenifere, Yoruba Unity Forum, Ilana Omo Oodua, Apapo Omo Oodua and diaspora groups, calling for a united regional response to insecurity.
The organisations were invited to submit position papers and nominate delegates for a proposed Yoruba Renaissance and Education Summit aimed at developing long-term solutions to educational insecurity.
According to the group, the summit would serve as a platform for harmonising grassroots mobilisation, policy advocacy and regional development strategies.
The organisation also sought the involvement of retired military and intelligence officers of Yoruba extraction, proposing the creation of an Emergency Advisory Council of Yoruba Veterans to support state governments and security agencies with strategic intelligence and operational expertise.
“Your experience in national and international operations is irreplaceable,” AYURI noted. “Yorubaland needs it now, not in retirement.”
Vigilante groups and local hunters were similarly tasked with securing forests, abandoned settlements and rural pathways believed to be vulnerable to criminal activities.
AYURI recommended formal training, communication support and legal protection for local security operatives to enhance coordination with Amotekun and traditional authorities.
As part of its broader agenda, the organisation announced plans to host a “Yoruba Renaissance and Education Protection Summit” on September 23, 2026, at the International Conference Centre in Ibadan.
The summit, according to the statement, is expected to ratify a proposed Yoruba Renaissance Security Protocol designed to strengthen school security, improve intelligence gathering and provide support for affected communities and families.
AYURI further disclosed plans to establish state and diaspora implementation cells to mobilise resources for school fortification projects and community-based security initiatives across the region.
The organisation concluded its letter with a strong warning that failure to confront the growing threat of school abductions could endanger the future of the Yoruba people.
“If our children cannot learn in peace, the Yoruba Nation has no future,” the statement read.
Calling for collective action, AYURI urged political leaders, monarchs, faith leaders, security veterans and grassroots organisations to rise above division and work together in defence of education and community safety.
“Let the governors fund, the Obas lead, the religious leaders sanctify, the socio-cultural groups mobilise, the veterans advise, and the vigilantes guard,” the letter declared. “Let Ogbomoso be the last time these enemies dare to touch our children.”
