The Human Rights Association has called on the Federal Government and South-West governors to strengthen constitutional security institutions in Oyo State and reject proposals to authorise armed civilian networks.
In a statement released May 2026, HRA Chairman Saad Kassis-Mohamed said the call follows the attack on Community High School in Ahoro-Esinele, Oriire Local Government Area, where gunmen abducted pupils and beheaded mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun in front of students.
“A mathematics teacher was beheaded in front of his students in Oyo State. Children were abducted from their school. These are not statistics. They are the direct consequence of a security failure by the Nigerian state,” Kassis-Mohamed said.
The HRA expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the failure to prevent the attacks and bring perpetrators to justice is a breach of the state’s primary duty to protect citizens.
The association noted the public statement by activist Chief Sunday Adeyemo that his proposed Iru Ekun Security Network is ready to begin armed operations in South-West forests, pending government approval. While acknowledging Adeyemo’s concern for affected communities, the HRA said authorising armed civilian groups outside the Nigeria Police Force, Army, and DSS creates unregulated risk.
It cited Nigeria’s past experience with community-based security initiatives that operated without oversight and led to extrajudicial violence, ethnic targeting, and impunity.
“The constitutional obligation of the Nigerian state to maintain internal security rests with its statutory institutions,” Kassis-Mohamed said. He pointed to Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.
The HRA urged the Federal Government to deploy additional capacity through constitutional institutions, with adequate resources, training, and accountability. It called for a dedicated federal response to forest-based criminal networks in the South-West and parts of Kwara State, and for the identification, arrest, and prosecution of those behind the Ahoro-Esinele attack.
The association also asked that the families of Oyedokun and other victims receive consular support, recognition, and access to justice.
“The answer cannot be to authorise armed civilian networks operating outside the statutory security framework, without rules of engagement and without command accountability,” Kassis-Mohamed said. “Nigeria has a constitution, a police force, and an army. The obligation of the Federal Government is to make those institutions work for the people of Oyo State.”
The Human Rights Association operates under the WeCare Foundation in Cape Town.
