Senate Pushes State Police Bill as 87 Abducted Children Remain in Captivity on Day Four

Four days after gunmen stormed schools in Borno and Oyo states, 87 children and teachers remain missing. No group has claimed responsibility. And the Senate has had enough.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele on Sunday declared that the dual abductions, which occurred on Thursday, May 15, had only hardened the National Assembly’s resolve to fast-track state police legislation. Bamidele, who also chairs the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review, called the attacks “a direct assault on Nigeria’s future.”

What Happened in Borno

Gunmen raided Government Day Secondary School and Mussa Central Primary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, bordering Sambisa Forest, a known Boko Haram stronghold. More than 40 children were taken. Eyewitnesses said the attackers used the abducted pupils as human shields while fleeing on motorcycles, preventing security operatives from opening fire.

Residents say the assault was deliberately staged. A night before the school raid, gunmen attacked two neighbouring villages — killing one person in Gandarma and five people in Banbasu and burning homes. It appears designed to draw security forces away before hitting the school.

As of Monday, May 18, no official — state or federal — had visited Mussa to speak with grieving families. Parent Muhammad Saleh told Daily Trust: “This is the fourth day since my two children were abducted, and I have not slept. My wife hardly eats and cries all the time. Nobody has contacted us or explained the reason for the abduction. The silence is tormenting us.”

What Happened in Oyo

Armed men attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area. The exact number of children and teachers taken in Oyo has not been officially confirmed, though total figures across both states have been reported at 87. Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu ordered the deployment of additional tactical and intelligence assets to Oriire in response.

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, expressed dismay over the Oyo attacks. Meanwhile, Borno Governor Babagana Zulum pledged humanitarian intervention and resettlement support for displaced communities in Monguno, where insecurity has also flared.

Senate’s Response: State Police Now

Bamidele’s statement is not symbolic. The Senate has been debating state police legislation amid deep disagreements over state control of security forces. The Borno-Oyo attacks give the bill new urgency and political cover to push it through.

Nigeria’s centralised police structure has long been criticised for its inability to respond quickly to local crises. State police advocates argue that governors need direct command of security assets rather than waiting on federal deployments. Critics worry about potential abuse by state executives. The debate has dragged on for years. Two mass school abductions in a single day may finally break the deadlock.

Day Four — Still No Word

For families in Mussa, the silence from kidnappers and officials alike is its own kind of cruelty. Children were abducted on a Friday morning. By Monday, no ransom demand had come, no group had claimed the attack, and no search team had found them.

Parents say they fear the children may be conscripted, forced into the ranks of the group that took them. It has happened before in Nigeria’s long history of mass school abductions, dating back to the Chibok girls in 2014.

Whether state police would have changed Friday’s outcome in Askira-Uba is impossible to say. But the Senate has made it clear: the status quo is no longer acceptable.

Sources: BusinessDay, Leadership, Arise News, Daily Trust