The Prime Minister 's Office 
10 Downing Street London 
United Kingdom 
Sw1A 2AA

 

On 4 May 2026, 46 people including 39 children aged 2-16 and 7 teachers were abducted from 3 schools in Oriire LGA, Oyo State, Nigeria. The UK has security and diplomatic ties to Nigeria and holds intelligence and hostage negotiation expertise that could assist the rescue operation.

 

Mass kidnappings of schoolchildren are escalating in Nigeria, with 46 people taken from 3 schools in Oyo State on 4 May 2026. We ask the UK to use its intelligence, counter-terrorism, and diplomatic resources to support the rescue and raise the case internationally.

Both avoid repeating the main text verbatim and give context for why the UK should act. Want me to make a 3rd version that leans more on the children’s rights angle for the background box

#PETITION FOR IMMEDIATE #ACTION, #JUSTICE, AND #RESCUE OF KIDNAPPED #CITIZENS IN #NIGERIA

To:
1. The Inspector General of Police, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja
2. The Chief of Defence StafPETITION FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION, JUSTICE, AND RESCUE OF KIDNAPPED CITIZENS IN NIGERIAf, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Abuja
3. The Chief of Army Staff, Nigerian Army, Abuja
4. The Chief of Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy, Abuja
5. The Chief of Air Staff, Nigerian Air Force, Abuja
6. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Aso Rock Villa, Abuja

Copy to:

7. His Excellency, President Donald J. Trump
   President of the United States of America, The White House, Washington D.C.

8. The Rt. Hon. Keir Starmer MP
   Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 10 Downing Street, London United Kingdom. 

From: Concerned Citizens and Families of Victims of Kidnapping and Violent Crime in Nigeria  
Date:4th May 2026  

Subject: Demand for Immediate Rescue Operations, Accountability, and an End to Banditry, Kidnapping, and Extrajudicial Killings of Innocent Nigerians

( 1. PREAMBLE AND STATEMENT OF FACTS  )

We, the undersigned citizens of Nigeria and concerned global stakeholders, petition your offices with profound distress over the escalating wave of kidnapping, banditry, and murder of innocent Nigerians, particularly children, students, and educators.

On or about Friday, coordinated attacks were carried out on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. According to verified reports, 46 persons were abducted*, comprising:

TEACHERS (7):
1. Mrs. Alamu Folawe – Principal, Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele
2. Mr. Ojo Jonathan – Vice Principal
3. Mr. Olatunde Zacchaeus – Teacher
4. Mr. John Olaleye – Teacher
5. Mr. Michael Oyedokun – Teacher
6. Mrs. Oladeji – Teacher
7. Mary Akanbi – Teacher, Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School

STUDENTS (39):  (  Ahoro-Esinele Community  )
1. Rashida Tajudeen – 11 years
2. Ahmed Ramoni – 8 years
3. Abdulsalam Toyib – 4 years
4. Baraka Abioye – 16 years
5. Fatimo Jimoh – 15 years
6. Hassan Azeez – 14 years
7. Joshua Adeleke – 13 years

Yawota Community_
8. Samuel Oyedele – 7 years
9. Emmanuel Oyedele – 4 years
10. Idowu Taiwo – 4 years
11. Christianah Akanbi – 2 years
12. Juwon Sunday – 7 years
13. Sikiru Salami – 3 years
14. Soliu Salami – 4 years
15. Ojo Joseph – 8 years
16. Lydia Adewole – 8 years
17. Testimony Jacob – 5 years
18. Kehinde Kaosara – 7 years
19. Sewa Seyi – 7 years
20. Waliya Bello – 4 years
21. Lydia Olohunlolowa – 7 years
22. Damilare Oderinde – 8 years
23. Deborah Adebowale – 5 years
24. Aisha Oguntowo – 10 years
25. Lege Taiwo – 12 years
26. Balkis Ayanwale – 8 years
27. Asa David – 10 years

Oniya Community_
28. Shuaibu Aliyu – 10 years
29. Ahmed Aliyu – 7 years
30. Muiz Aliyu – 5 years
31. Jomiloju Ogunlola – 6 years

_Alawusa Community_
32. Agune Noah – 8 years
33. Elizabeth Abadi – 5 years
34. Tosin Abadi – 9 years
35. Pius Stephen – 5 years
36. Hannah Ojo – 14 years
37. Habidat Ayanwale – 7 years
38. Mary Gabriel – 6 years
39. Jacob Gabriel – age not specified

These children, some as young as 2 years old, were abducted from their classrooms. Their families have received no credible communication regarding their location, condition, or release. This incident follows a pattern of similar attacks across Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, and other states.

We further note the reported beheading of a Nigerian citizen whose identity is being posted all over the social media-on the Internet. His family demands answers, a forensic investigation, and prosecution of the perpetrators.

 (   LEGAL BASIS OF THIS PETITION  )

This petition is grounded in the following:
1. Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended):* Every person has a right to life.

2. Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution: The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.

3. Child Rights Act 2003 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Nigeria has a duty to protect children from abduction, violence, and exploitation.

4. Sections 364 and 371 of the Criminal Code Act: Kidnapping and unlawful detention are felony offenses punishable by law.
5. International Humanitarian Law and the Rome Statute of the ICC: Systematic attacks on civilians, including children, may constitute crimes against humanity.

The failure of state actors to prevent, investigate, and prosecute these crimes constitutes a breach of the social contract and state obligations under both domestic and international law.

(  OUR DEMANDS  ) 

We hereby demand the following, with immediate effect:
1. Immediate Launch of a Joint Rescue Operation: Deploy coordinated efforts of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Police to locate and safely rescue all 46 abducted persons from Oyo State, and all other known victims of kidnapping in Nigeria.

2. Publication of a National Register of Missing Persons: The Federal Government should publish and regularly update a verifiable register of all missing children and citizens, with timelines for investigation.

3. Independent Investigation and Prosecution: Establish an independent panel to investigate the Oyo kidnapping and the beheading case. All findings must be made public and perpetrators prosecuted in open court.

4. Dismantling of Bandit Networks: Launch a sustained, intelligence-led operation to dismantle all bandit, terrorist, and kidnap-for-ransom networks operating in the Northwest, North Central, and Southwest regions.

5. Accountability for Security Failures: Commanders and officers responsible for lapses that enabled these attacks must be held accountable through military and civil disciplinary processes.

6. Support for Victims’ Families: Provide immediate psychosocial, medical, and financial support to the families of the abducted and murdered victims.

7. International Cooperation: We formally request the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom to provide technical, intelligence, and logistical support to the Nigerian government in countering transnational kidnap-for-ransom syndicates.

(  CALL  TO  ACTION  )

The continued failure to protect Nigerian children and citizens is unacceptable. The right to life and security cannot be negotiated. We demand a written response from the office of the President and the Chief of Defence Staff within 14 days of receipt of this petition, detailing the specific steps being taken.

Failure to act will compel us to escalate this matter to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the United Nations Human Rights Council, and other international bodies.

( CONCLUSION )

Justice delayed is justice denied. The blood of these children, teachers, and citizens cries out for action. We implore you to act now, not with press statements, but with decisive operations that bring our children home and end this cycle of bloodshed.

 

Petition Starter 

Henry  Akannilaisu

27th May 2026