Senate Donates N50m to Families of Oyo Kidnap Victims

(Senate. Photo by Leadership News)

The Senate stated on Wednesday that it would donate ₦50 million to the families of those who perished in the kidnapping of teachers and students in Oyo State's Oriire Local Government Area.

Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, made the announcement during plenary while praising President Bola Tinubu, the military, and other security organizations for their contributions to the rescue of the kidnapped teacher and pupils.

The kidnappers killed two of the three instructors they kidnapped while they were in captivity.

Days after being kidnapped, Michael Oyedokun was decapitated, and John Olaleye, a pastor, was also murdered while being detained by the kidnappers.

During the rescue effort, three security guards were also slain in different gunfights with the abductors.

The officers were Sergeant Abena John Jerome (F/No. 234511) of the Nigeria Police Force, Private Silas Musa (23NA/84/4604) of the 81 Battalion, Nigerian Army, and Lieutenant F. A. Isaac (N/20349) of the Nigerian Army.

According to Mr. Akpabio, each of the five impacted families would get ₦10 million to help the children and dependents that the deceased left behind.

He stated, "We're offering a token of ₦50 million to be divided among the five deceased families the families of the two teachers and the families of the three operatives who lost their lives ₦10 million each."

He expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and instructed Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, to supervise the checks' presentation.

After being held captive for 56 days, the kidnapped youngsters and their teacher were freed last Friday, July 10, in a coordinated operation involving the military and other security organizations.

During Tuesday's plenary, senators addressed the rescue effort and the deaths of the teachers and security workers, observed a minute of silence in their honor, and offered their condolences to their families.

Additionally, the lawmakers advised Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde against urging international human rights organizations to investigate the circumstances of the kidnapping.

They argued that seeking intervention from international bodies, particularly the United Nations, could undermine the federal government’s efforts to tackle insecurity.