As Nigerians mark June 12 Democracy Day in celebration of freedom, justice, and democratic progress, the Accord candidate for Oyo Central Senatorial District in the 2027 election, Wale Ajani, has declared that there is little to celebrate in Nigeria, especially in Oyo State where 39 students and seven teachers were abducted by armed men in Ahoro Esinele community, Oriire Local Government Area, and have remained in captivity since May 15.
In a statement released to the media, Ajani described the prolonged captivity of the victims as a heartbreaking tragedy, a national embarrassment, and a painful reminder that democracy means nothing when innocent citizens are left at the mercy of criminals.
It would be recalled that the victims were abducted when armed men attacked one secondary school and two primary schools in Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire district.
As Democracy Day is being observed on June 12, the victims have spent 28 days in captivity, a situation Ajani said should shake the conscience of every responsible leader and every patriotic Nigerian.
He said it is cruel and unacceptable that while the nation celebrates freedom on June 12, dozens of schoolchildren and their teachers have been denied their own freedom for 28 days.
Ajani lamented that with each passing day, the pain of the parents deepens, the fear in the community grows, and the trauma suffered by the victims becomes more unbearable.
According to him, the abduction of 39 students and seven teachers is not just a security incident, but a human catastrophe that has thrown families into anguish and cast a dark shadow over the Democracy Day celebration in Oyo State.
“This is not the meaning of June 12,” Ajani said. “How can we speak of democracy and freedom when 39 students and seven teachers have been in captivity since May 15? How do parents celebrate while their children are missing? How do teachers’ families rejoice while their loved ones remain in the hands of armed men? This is painful. This is shameful. This is intolerable.”
He said the continuing captivity of the victims is a direct attack on education, human dignity, and the collective conscience of the nation.
Ajani called on the Federal Government, Oyo State Government, security agencies, and all relevant authorities to rise above routine statements and act with urgency, seriousness, and clear results to ensure the safe rescue of all those abducted.
He stressed that 28 days in captivity is far too long for innocent children and teachers to remain in the hands of kidnappers, warning that every extra day of delay increases the danger to their lives and deepens public frustration.
“On a day Nigeria remembers the struggle for liberty, children in Oriire are still in bondage,” he said. “For 28 days, families have cried. For 28 days, parents have waited. For 28 days, fear has ruled where peace should reign. This is a stain on our humanity and a test of our government’s responsibility.”
Ajani further urged community leaders, religious bodies, civil society groups, and the media to continue raising their voices until the victims are rescued, insisting that the matter must not be forgotten or reduced to another passing headline.
He said Democracy Day should not only be a time for speeches and ceremonies, but also a moment to confront painful truths about insecurity and the failure to adequately protect vulnerable communities and schools.
According to him, the tears in Oriire have overshadowed the joy of June 12, and the only meaningful response now is urgent action that will bring the abducted students and teachers back home alive.
“Until these children and teachers regain their freedom, this Democracy Day remains incomplete,” Ajani said. “June 12 must not just be about remembering past struggles. It must also be about acting now to save lives, defend the innocent, and prove that freedom still has meaning in Nigeria.”
