Eko Hot Blog reports that two suspected kidnappers were killed, firearms were recovered, and the victims were reunited with their family. It was good news. Every kidnapped victim deserves to return home alive.
EDITOR’S PICK
- Hamzat Appoints Obanikoro as Campaign DG Ahead of 2027 Lagos Governorship Race
- Tinubu’s State Police Plan Gains Momentum as Amendment Looms
- Residents Raise Alarm After Two Bodies Found in Lagos Waterway
But while many celebrated, another painful reality remained.
Thirty-nine pupils and seven teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State are still in captivity. Their families continue to wake up each day with uncertainty. Their classrooms remain empty. Their communities remain haunted by fear.
Among them was Mr. Michael Oyedokun, a 57-year-old mathematics teacher and father of two. He never got the chance to return home. According to reports, he was beheaded while in captivity. A horrifying act that shook the nation but somehow failed to generate the same urgency that accompanied other high-profile kidnapping cases.
This column is not about Adebayo Adelabu’s sister. She deserved to be rescued. Her children deserved to be rescued. Every Nigerian deserves to be rescued.
The real question is why Nigerians increasingly believe that some victims receive the full weight of the state while others are left to the mercy of fate.
The operation that secured the freedom of Adelabu’s sister demonstrated that when intelligence is gathered, resources are deployed and pressure is sustained, security agencies can achieve results. Reports indicate that surveillance, intelligence tracking and tactical operations were used to locate and confront the kidnappers.
If that capacity exists, ordinary Nigerians are asking a painful question: where is the same level of urgency for the 39 pupils and seven teachers?
Where is the same determination for the palm wine seller whose daughter was taken from school?
Where is the same intensity for the parents who have spent weeks staring at empty beds and untouched school uniforms?
Where is the same commitment for families that do not have powerful connections, influential friends or famous surnames?
These questions are uncomfortable because they strike at a growing belief among citizens that Nigeria operates two systems.
One system for the privileged. Another for everyone else.
In one Nigeria, a kidnapping becomes a national priority. Security agencies move swiftly. Intelligence assets are activated. The nation pays attention.
In the other Nigeria, grieving parents organise protests. Teachers march through the streets. Communities cry for help. Weeks pass, yet the victims remain in captivity.
Whether this perception is fair or not is almost beside the point. The perception itself is damaging.
Trust in government is built when citizens believe that every life matters equally. It is destroyed when people begin to suspect that the speed of rescue depends on the status of the victim.
The children still in captivity are not statistics. They are sons and daughters. They have dreams, ambitions and futures waiting for them. Their teachers are not numbers on a government report. They are men and women who chose to educate the next generation despite the challenges facing the profession.
Mr. Michael Oyedokun was not a headline until his death. He was a mathematics teacher. A father. A Nigerian trying to make an honest living. Yet his story now stands as a painful reminder of the cost of insecurity and the anguish of families who feel forgotten.
The true test of any government is not how it protects the powerful. The true test is how it protects the vulnerable.
A nation should not need a famous surname before deploying its best resources. A child in a rural classroom should matter just as much as the relative of a former minister. The tears of a market woman should carry the same weight as the tears of a political elite.
Until every victim receives the same urgency, many Nigerians will continue to believe that the rich have names while the poor become statistics and that is a tragedy no rescue operation can erase.
FURTHER READING
- Seyi Makinde Restricts Motorcycle Operations Over Rising Insecurity in Oyo
- Lagos Launches Digital Planning Permit System to Boost Urban Development
- Ogun Police Arrest Seven Suspects in Multi-Location Crime Crackdown
Click here to watch video of the week
