He Chose His Chalk Over His Casket

On a Friday morning in Ahoro Esinele, a quiet community in Oriire district, Oyo State, armed bandits stormed three schools simultaneously. They walked through gates meant only for learning and left with children — some as young as two years old — and the teachers who had devoted their lives to them.

The schools targeted were Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. What police described as a “coordinated attack” unfolded on May 16, as gunmen raided the campuses in a calculated sweep, seizing pupils and staff before disappearing into the forested edges of the region.

Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Oyo State, confirmed that 46 people were taken — the majority of them children between the ages of two and 16.

By Monday, the ordeal had taken a devastating turn when a viral video circulated online showing one of the hostages being beheaded by the abductors. The victim was identified as Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics teacher.

A prayer or cry; 

As the news spread, a traditional ruler in the community made an unusual appeal — calling on ancestral deities to intervene and secure the release of the captives. In the absence of a credible security response, faith became the loudest instrument available.

Residents continue to hope. Mothers count the hours. Teachers across Oyo State quietly wonder whether they too are one school morning away from becoming a headline.

What the Governor Said

Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed the numbers: approximately seven students were abducted from Community Secondary School, 18 children from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School, and about seven teachers across the affected schools.

“Whatever it is they demand, we are ready to listen to them and address the ones that we can address as a state government. But the children and their teachers must be released,” Makinde said.

The Sunday Igboho Question

The attack reignited a long-running debate in the South West. An Oyo-based activist noted that Sunday Igboho has been seeking approval from the federal government and state governors to deploy a community security network to flush bandits from South West forests.

The proposal drew sharp pushback. One critic put it plainly: 

“It will be unlawful, criminal to use non-state actors to confront another non-state actor. The president represents the sovereignty of the nation and if found incapable, the people can choose another leader to bring back sanity. We must not allow brigands to dominate Nigeria.”

The tension between desperation for safety and the rule of law sits at the heart of this crisis.

Did He Choose His Chalk Over His Life?

Teachers in Nigeria rarely earn what their labour demands. They work under an umbrella of quiet sacrifice — not for salaries, which often arrive late or thin, but for something harder to name. Duty. Calling. Love of the work.

Michael Oyedokun showed up that Friday not knowing it would be his last. He did not choose death. He chose, as he had chosen every morning before, to be present for his students. That is the only choice a teacher knows how to make.

The real question Nigeria must answer is not whether he chose his chalk over his life — but why the state has made that choice feel like a gamble.