“The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
Section 14(2)(b), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Dear {{First name|Active Citizen}},
On May 15, armed bandits stormed three schools in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, L.A. Primary School. And for over two hours, they operated freely and no security intervention came.
39 students and 7 teachers were missing by the time the bandits left. Among those kidnapped were a principal, two vice principals, and many children who had simply arrived for their classes that Friday morning.
See full list in the image below.
Image Source: Oyo Matters on X
We are not going to ask you to be shocked. You have been here before. So have we.
This is not just an Oyo story.
The families in Oriire join a growing, devastating national count. In February 2026, gunmen killed at least 162 people in Kwara State in a single night. In March, Boko Haram and ISWAP militants attacked military positions across Borno and Yobe. In the Northwest, over 2,900 people were kidnapped in a single twelve-month window. Between January and April 2026 alone, at least 1,100 Nigerians were abducted.
What was once described as a "northern problem" has arrived in the South-West. The Oyo school attack is not an isolated incident; it is a warning that no part of this country is immune, and that the architecture of protection we were promised has not been built.
Image Source: Channels Tv
The response from the government has been consistent: condemnation, assurance, silence. We know this script. We have been reading it for years.
We must refuse to let our grief stay as grief.
The 2027 elections are eight months away, and the last phase of voter registration is open and running until July 10.
The very politicians now releasing statements regarding the Oriire attacks will likely seek your vote in 2027. Many have stood for election before, offering the same hollow reassurances for years while communities continue to suffer and security further declines.
A lack of security is ultimately a failure of governance. Such failures are authored by individuals who, in a democracy, are only held accountable if the citizenry chooses to participate.
Register. Select. Vote not fight. Protect.
Whether you are in Oyo or elsewhere in the country, if you are not yet on the voter register, you must visit your local INEC registration point before the July 10 deadline. If you have already registered but are still without your PVC, make it a priority to collect it. It is essential that we transform our sorrow into meaningful action.
EiE + Crowdr: This is exactly why we do this work
We recently launched our voter mobilisation campaign to date, in partnership with Crowdr, Nigeria's leading civic crowdfunding platform, with a goal to reach one million Nigerians across all six Southwest states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, and Ondo. The campaign funds community registration drives, youth civic education, grassroots mobilisation, and electoral accountability efforts.
Nigeria's 2023 elections recorded a voter turnout of under 27%. Millions more were eligible but never registered. Every election cycle, life-and-death decisions are handed to a shrinking number of voters. The people deciding whether Oriire gets a security post or a press statement are on a ballot. They need to know you are watching. They need to know you will show up.
Every contribution, however small, goes directly toward putting more Nigerians in front of a ballot box in 2027, informed and ready.
In service of the #OfficeOfTheCitizen
The EiE Nigeria Team.
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Enough thinking. Enough ranting. Let's build.