News
Ojude Oba and the Silence of a Nation: Dancing While Oyo’s Children Remain in Captivity
By Adinoyi Ukpa
As the horses trotted majestically through the streets of Ijebu-Ode and social media erupted in admiration of flowing agbadas, expensive beads, celebrity appearances and the splendour of the 2026 Ojude Oba Festival, a different Nigeria was unfolding far from the cameras.
In the forests of Oyo State, schoolchildren and teachers abducted by bandits remained in captivity, their families trapped in anguish, uncertainty and fear. While millions of Nigerians debated fashion statements and celebrated cultural pageantry, parents waited anxiously for news of children who had simply gone to school and never returned home.
The contrast was not merely ironic. It was an indictment.
It revealed a nation that appears increasingly comfortable celebrating itself while its children languish in the hands of criminals.
This is not an argument against Ojude Oba. Far from it.
The festival is one of Nigeria’s finest cultural exports. It represents history, identity, community and pride. It is a testament to the enduring strength of Yoruba culture and deserves its place among Africa’s great cultural celebrations.
But culture cannot become an escape from conscience.
What should trouble every Nigerian is not that Ojude Oba was celebrated. What should trouble us is that the kidnapping of schoolchildren no longer possesses the power to interrupt our celebrations.
We have become accustomed to horror. A nation that once recoiled in shock at the abduction of a handful of schoolchildren now treats such incidents as routine news items. We express outrage for a few days, issue statements, offer prayers, blame security agencies, and then move on to the next political controversy, celebrity event or cultural festival.
The children remain behind.
The parents continue to suffer. The kidnappers continue their business.
The country carries on as if nothing has happened.
The Oyo abduction should have triggered a national emergency. Reports from Oriire Local Government Area indicated that armed men attacked schools and communities, abducting pupils, teachers and residents. One teacher reportedly lost his life in captivity. Families have endured days and weeks of agony while awaiting the safe return of their loved ones.
Yet the incident never generated the level of sustained national outrage that similar kidnappings attracted in the past.
Perhaps that is because Nigeria has become desensitised. Perhaps we have seen too many kidnappings. Perhaps we have become too accustomed to headlines about bandits, terrorists and ransom demands. Or perhaps we simply no longer value human life as much as we claim.
The tragedy in Oyo inevitably invites comparisons with earlier school abductions that shook the nation.
In June 2021, armed bandits invaded Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, in Kebbi State, within the Zuru Emirate. The attack sent shockwaves across Nigeria. Students and teachers were seized and marched into the forests.
The response was immediate and relentless.
The Federal Government mobilised security agencies. Intelligence operations were intensified. Meetings were held at the highest levels of government. Traditional rulers became involved. The issue dominated national discourse for months. Every release of students generated national headlines. Every development was closely monitored.
The process was long and frustrating, but one thing was unmistakable: the country refused to look away.
The victims remained at the centre of national attention until they regained their freedom.
The same pattern was evident in Niger State.
Whether in Kagara, Tegina, Pandogari, Papiri or other communities ravaged by bandit attacks, successive mass abductions provoked urgent responses from both state and federal authorities. Governors convened emergency meetings. Security deployments were increased. Community leaders were engaged. The media maintained pressure. Public attention remained focused on the fate of the victims.
No one could accuse the government of indifference, even where outcomes were delayed.
The nation understood that schoolchildren in captivity represented a direct challenge to the authority of the Nigerian state.
That understanding appears to be fading. Today, the kidnapping of students struggles to compete with entertainment, politics and social media trends. This is dangerous.
Banditry thrives not only because of weak security structures but also because of public fatigue. Criminals understand that outrage has become temporary. They understand that Nigerians have developed a short attention span. They understand that after a few days, another story will dominate the headlines.
This normalisation of insecurity is one of the greatest threats facing the country.
A society that becomes accustomed to kidnapping is a society that has begun surrendering its moral foundations.
The consequences extend beyond the immediate suffering of victims. Parents begin to fear sending children to school. Teachers become reluctant to accept postings to rural communities. Educational outcomes decline. Economic activities suffer. Communities become isolated. Trust in government erodes. Most importantly, citizens begin to lose faith in the state’s ability to perform its most fundamental responsibility: protecting lives.
There is another uncomfortable dimension to this conversation.
Nigeria’s political elite often appears more visible during celebrations than during tragedies.
Photographs from Ojude Oba featured politicians, government officials and influential figures eager to associate themselves with a prestigious cultural event. There is nothing wrong with attending such occasions. Public officials are citizens too. The problem arises when citizens perceive greater enthusiasm for festivals than for confronting national emergencies. Leadership is as much about symbolism as it is about policy.
At moments of national trauma, leaders must demonstrate urgency, empathy and focus. They must ensure that victims know they have not been forgotten. They must convince citizens that government machinery is fully engaged. Anything less creates the impression that public relations has become more important than public safety.
The lesson from Birnin Yauri, Kagara, Tegina and numerous other school abductions is clear: sustained public attention matters.
Governments respond more aggressively when citizens refuse to look away. Security agencies perform better when subjected to scrutiny.
Political leaders become more accountable when public pressure remains constant.
That is why Nigerians must resist the temptation to normalise the Oyo tragedy.
The kidnapped children and teachers deserve more than fleeting sympathy. They deserve national attention.
They deserve sustained advocacy. They deserve a government that treats their captivity as a matter of utmost urgency. And their families deserve to know that the country has not abandoned them.
Ojude Oba will come again next year. The horses will return. The colourful attire will return. The music, festivities and celebrations will return.
But for the parents waiting for news from Oyo State, every passing day feels like a lifetime.
Long after the photographs from Ijebu-Ode disappear from social media timelines, those families will still remember the nights spent praying for the safe return of their children.
That is why the real question confronting Nigeria is not whether Ojude Oba should be celebrated. It should.
The real question is why a nation facing an epidemic of school kidnappings appears increasingly capable of celebrating everything except the urgency of rescuing its children.
Until we answer that question honestly, every grand festival will carry an uncomfortable shadow. Because somewhere beyond the music, beyond the glamour, beyond the pageantry and prestige, frightened children are still waiting to come home.
And no nation should be comfortable dancing while that remains true.
***Ukpa a public affairs analyst writes from Okene, Kogi State.
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has alleged a plot by security agencies to doctor audio and visual recordings purportedly linked to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, in a bid to tarnish his image and justify his continued detention.
Frank, in a statement on Friday, claimed that El-Rufai has been subjected to “intense surveillance” while in custody and alleged that conversations involving the former governor, his lawyers and family members were being secretly recorded.
According to him, the alleged recordings were being manipulated through artificial intelligence technology to incriminate the former governor.
“Nasir El-Rufai has been subjected to intense surveillance even in detention,” Frank alleged.
“The ICPC, where he is being held, has collaborated with the DSS to bug his room. They have countless hours of voice and visual recordings of his conversations, including those with his lawyers and family members,” he said.
Frank further claimed that operatives were allegedly reviewing the recordings “to select those that can best be doctored.”
“The plan is to use AI to distort some of these recordings to frame El-Rufai. Their plan is to then leak some of these doctored recordings to the press,” he alleged.
Describing the development as part of a broader agenda against the former governor, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, said the alleged plot was aimed at damaging El-Rufai’s reputation and prolonging his detention.
“It is all a part of the agenda to destroy El-Rufai, tarnish his reputation and keep him in custody,” Frank stated.
From Adeko Ukpa
Political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has criticised the bail conditions granted to businessman Tunde Ayeni by the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, describing them as excessively stringent and capable of eroding public confidence in the judiciary.
Frank, in a statement on Thursday, alleged that the bail terms imposed by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court sitting in Apo were unprecedented and politically motivated.
He claimed that one of the conditions required a surety to provide a bank guarantee of N15 billion — the amount involved in the charge before the court — with an undertaking that the sum would be forfeited to the Federal Government if the defendant absconded.
According to him, such conditions were unusual for bailable offences and compared unfavourably with bail terms granted to other high-profile defendants facing corruption-related charges.
“It is surprising to hear of such a condition, as it appears highly unusual and capable of bringing shame to our judicial process,” Frank said.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, alleged that the Presidency was influencing the matter, insisting that several former public office holders facing corruption allegations involving huge sums had secured bail on less stringent conditions.
Frank cited former governors Ifeanyi Okowa and Yahaya Bello as examples of defendants who, according to him, were granted more favourable bail terms despite the scale of allegations against them.
He expressed concern that politics was increasingly influencing the nation’s justice system and warned against actions capable of undermining the independence of the judiciary.
The activist further urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the bail conditions in order to protect public trust in the judicial process.
“The Nigerian criminal justice system must resist the temptation to equate allegations with guilt. Courts are constitutionally obligated to remain the final guardians of liberty, not silent collaborators in pre-conviction punishment,” he stated.
Frank also called on the international community to pay attention to the matter, warning that perceived compromise of the rule of law could negatively affect investor confidence in the country.
He maintained that the offences against Ayeni were bailable and noted that Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution presumes every defendant innocent until proven guilty.
According to him, Ayeni had indicated readiness to face trial and should therefore be allowed adequate opportunity to prepare his defence while on bail.
International
Senegal Crisis: Timi Frank Backs Speaker Sonko, Accuses President Faye of Betraying Reform Agenda
From Adeko Ukpa, Abuja
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has congratulated Senegal’s newly elected Speaker Ousmane Sonko, while accusing President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of betraying the trust of the Senegalese people and abandoning the reform ideals that brought his administration to power.
Frank, in a statement on Wednesday, said the growing political crisis in Senegal reflects what he described as a painful betrayal of the revolutionary vision championed by former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and the PASTEF movement.
According to him, millions of Senegalese youths who supported the movement in pursuit of accountability, sovereignty and institutional reforms are now disillusioned by what they see as a gradual return to the old political order.
Frank noted that Sonko played the central role in reshaping Senegal’s political landscape long before President Faye emerged on the national stage, describing the Prime Minister as the symbol of resistance against the former administration of ex-President Macky Sall.
The international affairs advisor said Sonko inspired a generation of young Senegalese demanding political and economic independence, institutional reforms and freedom from foreign influence.
The former APC spokesman recalled that after Sonko’s strong performance in the 2019 presidential election, he became the country’s most formidable opposition figure, leading to what he described as years of political persecution, controversial arrests and legal battles aimed at preventing him from becoming president.
Frank argued that despite imprisonment and eventual disqualification from contesting the 2024 presidential election, Sonko remained committed to the movement and mobilised supporters from detention to back Faye as the candidate of continuity for the PASTEF vision.
“Without Sonko’s sacrifices, political structure, popularity and influence among Senegalese youths, Bassirou Diomaye Faye would almost certainly never have become president,” Frank stated.
He added that even President Faye publicly acknowledged Sonko’s role during his inauguration by crediting him for the movement’s victory and sacrifices.
Frank, however, alleged that shortly after assuming office, the Faye administration began deviating from the ideals that inspired the movement, particularly through the alleged return of individuals associated with the former Macky Sall administration into positions of influence.
He further accused President Faye of allegedly taking Senegal back under French influence contrary to the aspirations of the reform movement.
“The fight between President Faye and PM Sonko is mainly because President Faye has betrayed the trust reposed in him by the Senegalese people by taking Senegal back to the control of France,” Frank alleged.
He said many supporters of Sonko now view the development as a betrayal of the revolution they fought for and fear that the political establishment the movement sought to dismantle is quietly regaining influence.
Frank maintained that Sonko remains the authentic face of the struggle for a new Senegal built on economic independence, youth empowerment, institutional reforms and African self-determination.
He urged Senegalese citizens to remain steadfast and continue supporting Sonko’s leadership and long-term vision for the country.
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, also advised Sonko to begin building broader international alliances, particularly with the United States and other global partners willing to support democratic development and economic growth without undermining Senegal’s sovereignty.
According to Frank, Senegal stands at a critical crossroads between genuine reform and a return to entrenched political structures.
He warned that history would judge whether President Faye upheld the revolutionary ideals that brought him to power or aligned himself with the establishment the Senegalese people voted to reject.
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