The development comes as residents continue to recount the traumatic attacks carried out by heavily gunmen who invaded communities in the area, abducting pupils, teachers, and other residents.
Parents of school children abducted by terrorists in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have reportedly rejected rice, cash, and other relief items brought by government officials, insisting that the only assistance they want is the safe return of their children.
The development comes as residents continue to recount the traumatic attacks carried out by heavily gunmen who invaded communities in the area, abducting pupils, teachers, and other residents.
An elderly resident who witnessed the attack told News Central Television in a Yoruba-language interview that government officials who visited the affected communities after the incident were turned away by grieving parents.
According to him, the parents made it clear that no amount of food or money could replace their missing children.
“Little children were taken away while they kept shooting,” the elderly man said.
“After they left, we reported the matter to the police. When the police arrived, we narrated everything that happened to them.” He added that government representatives later visited the community with relief materials and financial assistance, but the gesture was rejected.
“When the government officials came, they came with rice and money, but the parents rejected them,” he said.
“Women who are government officials working with Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration also came to console us. They brought rice and money too, but the parents rejected them.”
According to the witness, the affected families insisted that their priority was the rescue of the abducted children rather than material support.
“The parents told the government officials that they did not want anything from them except for them to rescue their children,” he said.
“The parents insisted that they want their children rescued and nothing else.”
The latest account comes amid growing outrage over the attacks on Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area, where terrorists reportedly stormed schools and residential areas, abducting pupils, teachers, and residents.
As families continue to await news of their loved ones, many parents insist that government efforts should be focused on securing the release of the abducted children rather than providing relief materials.
“We don’t want rice. We don’t want money,” one resident said. “What we want is for our children to come back home alive.”