Protesters Block Ibadan Highway, Demand Immediate Rescue of Abducted Schoolchildren and Teachers.

Angry residents take to the streets as 39 pupils and seven teachers remain in captivity for over a month.

Traffic came to a standstill along the busy Iwo Road in Ibadan on Monday as desperate protesters blocked the highway, demanding that authorities secure the release of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped from Oyo State's Oriire Local Council over five weeks ago.

The demonstrators, carrying placards with messages like "Oyo Is Bleeding" and "Government Must Act End Kidnapping in Oyo State," gathered on the road, disrupting vehicles and businesses in the area. Some broke down in prayers right on the tarmac, pleading with God to bring the captives home safely.

"We live in constant fear," one protester told our reporters. "Our children are not safe. Our teachers are not safe. When will this madness stop?"

The abduction, which happened on May 15, has shaken communities across the state. Just two days later, terrorists murdered a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, sending shockwaves through the region. The kidnappers initially made a long list of demands, including the release of imprisoned terrorist leaders and the implementation of Sharia laws. But sources say they've since scaled back their demands and are now focused mainly on ransom.

Police Deputy Inspector General Adegoke Fayoade, who oversees the South-West region, visited Lagos on Monday and tried to calm fears, assuring the public that security agencies are closing in on the captors.

"All the agencies, including the government, are working hard," Fayoade said. "I can assure everyone that the children and their teachers will be freed soon."

But for the parents and residents who took to the streets, words aren't enough. They want action and they want it now.

"Oyo is bleeding," another banner read. "Free the Ogbomoso kidnapped victims."

The protesters are calling on the state government to urgently strengthen security across the region, protect farmers, traders, and families, and restore peace to communities that have become hunting grounds for kidnappers.

As night fell over Ibadan, the protesters finally dispersed, but their message lingered in the air: the government must do whatever it takes to bring these children home.