Right now, children as young as two years old are somewhere in the forests of Oyo State. They didn’t choose this. They were taken from classrooms in Esinele, Yamota, and Alawusa.
And the men who took them are not asking for lunch money. They are asking for the governor. This is not just a tragedy. It is a message. And if we misread it, more classrooms will become crime scenes.
Let’s cut through the noise, the politics, and the panic. Here is what’s really happening—and what a world-class response looks like.
(1). “We Want the Governor” – Why Terrorists Use That Line. When kidnappers refuse to talk to parents and demand only the governor, it’s not random. It’s called upward negotiation, and it’s a playbook used from the Sahel to Southeast Asia.
Why?
• Legitimacy: Talking to a governor makes them feel like a political actor, not a criminal gang.
• Power: A governor can authorize ransom, prisoner swaps, or amnesty faster than anyone else.
• Pressure: It forces the state into a public dilemma and shifts the narrative from “rescue” to “deal.”
Does this prove a 2027 political plot? No. Boko Haram demanded the presidency. Bandits in Zamfara demanded governors. This is about leverage, not ballots. But it is about sending a message: We control the state’s fear.
(2). The 4-Track Strategy That Actually Saves Children.
Countries like Colombia, the Philippines, and even Nigeria in Kaduna and Katsina have faced this before. The ones who got kids back alive used the same 4-track playbook:
Track 1: Contain & Protect.
Lock down schools in the affected LGA and bordering areas. Not out of panic, but from verified intelligence. Activate hunters, vigilantes, and traditional rulers. They know every footpath in that forest. And shut down public bargaining—every word in the media is a free tactical briefing for the kidnappers.
Track 2: Intelligence-Driven Rescue.
Create one war room: Police, DSS, Military, NIA, telecoms, and local hunters. Kidnappers move across state lines, so our response must too. Track their phones, ransom lines, SIM swaps. Use drones to see through the canopy. Here is the truth most don’t know: 80% of hostages globally are released through negotiation and pressure, not Hollywood-style raids. The raid is the last card, not the first.
Track 3: Negotiation with Firewalls.
Let trained professionals handle the backchannel. Politicians can speak publicly; negotiators handle the silence. And if money is discussed, it must be tied to intelligence—on other cells, weapons, future attacks. Paying blind ransom is paying for the next abduction. We saw this with Chibok and Dapchi.
Track 4: Heal, Harden, and Starve the System
Rescue is not the end. Trauma care for children and teachers is urgent. Then harden schools: fences, alarms, safe rooms, school marshals. But the real win is killing the ecosystem. Kidnapping thrives where young men have no jobs, no future, and no fear of consequence. Give them an alternative, and you cut the recruitment pipeline.
(3). What Must Happen in Oriire in the Next 72 Hours.
(1). Federal-State Fusion: Oyo cannot do this alone. The NPF, DSS, and Defence Headquarters must formally take operational lead, with Oyo in the room. The governor can speak; the agencies must act.
(2). Radical Silence: “Government is working” is the only public line. Every leak tells the kidnappers how to move the children deeper.
(3). Attack the Network, Not Just the Forest: Arrest the financiers, the informants, the market men selling fuel and food. You don’t need the 10 men in the bush if you cut their lifeline.
(4). Activate the Throne: Traditional rulers in Oriire, Ogbomoso, and border communities in Kwara and Oyo hold intelligence no drone can see. Use them.
(4). The Hard Truth About Nigeria’s Future.
Kidnapping-for-ransom is now a business model. And businesses only die when three things happen:
(1). The Cost Goes Up: Arrested kidnappers must face swift, public trials. Impunity is their business plan.
(2). The Profit Goes Down: Enforce the Terrorism Prevention Act. No ransom. It’s brutal politically, but it’s the only way to break the cycle.
(3). The Alternative Appears: No 20-year-old chooses a forest and an AK-47 if he has a N150,000 job with dignity. Security without opportunity is temporary.
This is not a choice between “negotiate” and “attack.” That’s a false trap. The countries that bring children home do three things at once: apply pressure, keep the channels open, and protect the community.
Nigeria has done this before. We can do it again. But it will take coordination, not just courage. Patience, not just posturing. And a refusal to let our children become bargaining chips.
The forest has children.
Heaven is watching. And history will record whether we rose to the moment or reduced it to tweets and blame. Gov. Seyi Makinde, God will help you, sir.
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