Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared a 16-hour curfew across ten local government areas bordering the Old Oyo National Park, effective from Wednesday, June 24, 2026. The curfew, running from 4pm to 8am, is set for 48 hours in the first instance and covers the belt of communities closest to the forest terrain where abducted school children and teachers are believed to still be held.
The affected local government areas are Oriire, Orelope, Irepo, Saki West, Saki East, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Olorunsogo, and Atiba. The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde, issued the directive by memo, citing security considerations as the basis for the measure.
The curfew comes as public frustration over the May abduction continues to find expression on the streets of Ibadan. Protesters gathered again on Monday under the banner of a civic movement demanding the release of the captives, with National Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu making clear that demonstrations would continue until every hostage was freed. Forty-six students and their teachers remain in captivity, according to figures cited by the protesters.
He accused government officials of conducting their affairs from the comfort of offices while victims remain in a kidnappers’ den, and criticised the political class for allowing attention to drift toward 2027 election preparations rather than the immediate security crisis. His closing warning was that continued inaction will produce continued mass action.
The curfew represents the most formal state-level security response to the abduction since it occurred in May. Whether it signals a new phase in the operation to free the hostages or is primarily a crowd-control measure ahead of further protests is a question the next 48 hours will begin to answer.
The children and teachers taken from schools in Oriire Local Government Area have now been in captivity for more than a month. A curfew on ten local government areas is a significant administrative intervention howeverit is not yet a rescue.
