Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has declared that the state government has taken over the welfare and responsibility of the released Oriire teachers and pupils. He recently revealed that this will remain the case until all the victims are fully stabilised.
Giving the assurance when the military formally handed over the victims to the Oyo State Government at the Government House, Secretariat, Ibadan, Makinde revealed that the government will not allow anything to affect the education and careers of the recently rescued teachers and pupils.
He added that his administration will work directly with the affected school to provide immediate medical, psychological and logistical support to the victims and their families.
His words, “On behalf of the government and the good people of Oyo State, I want to sincerely thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the support given to ensure the success of this operation. I also appreciate the leadership of all the security agencies in Nigeria.
Quite frankly, I am still overwhelmed because incidents like this have happened in different parts of the country, but when it happened in Oyo State, the response was different. All the security agencies worked together with one goal—to secure the safe return of the teachers and the pupils.
I can only thank Almighty God for His grace over our state. I have been governor for over seven years, and this is the first time I have witnessed an incident like this. It has never happened before, and I sincerely pray it will be the last time we experience anything like this.
To the teachers and the pupils, I know it will be a long road to recovery. What you went through during those 56 days cannot simply be erased. However, I want to assure you that although the Baptist school involved is not a government-owned school, we will engage with its management to determine the best way forward.
Let me assure both the teachers and the pupils from that school that the Oyo State Government will do everything possible to ensure there is no disruption to your careers as teachers and no interruption to the education of the affected pupils. We will continue to support you throughout this recovery period.
The Chief Medical Director has briefed me on the progress being made by his team. They still need to carry out a few more assessments, and I believe another 24 to 48 hours of medical observation will be sufficient before you are discharged.
Parents will be allowed access to their children, but we want to ensure that everyone is medically fit before they are reunited with their families. We do not want any complications after everything you have been through. We want to be certain that you are healthy and that adequate support is available to help you through this difficult transition back home.
So, on behalf of the people of Oyo State, we now officially take responsibility for the rescued teachers and pupils. We will provide every necessary assistance and support to help you recover fully.”
