Oyo State Government Joins Traditional Masquerade Group’s Prayer for Safe Release of Kidnapped Schoolchildren

In an unconventional cultural approach to the state's security crisis, the Oyo State Government has officially joined forces with a prominent traditional spiritual body, the Ibadan Labala Masquerades Group Worldwide, to hold a special prayer and sacrifice session for the safe return of dozens of abducted schoolchildren and teachers. The collective intercession took place at the historic Labala shrine located in the Labo area of Ibadan, the state capital.

The spiritual intervention follows the mass abduction of over 40 primary and secondary school pupils alongside their instructors, who were seized by armed bandits during a coordinated morning raid on three local schools in Oriire Local Government Area. The incident has triggered widespread public outrage, regional protests, and immense political pressure on both the state and federal governments to secure the victims' release.

The special prayer session was formally approved by the leader of the traditional group, Chief Ojeyemi Ajayi (Idunnu Ifa). State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, confirmed the government’s active partnership, stating that the essence was to offer traditional prayers and sacrifices on behalf of the state to achieve the safe return of the abductees.

Representing the state at the shrine, the General Manager of the Oyo State Council for Arts and Culture, Mr. Kunle Agboola, lauded the masquerade group for their patriotism and compassion, noting that their spiritual mobilization serves as a strong civic partnership with Governor Seyi Makinde's administration during a difficult national crisis.

Beyond the shrine sacrifices, the group organized a symbolic prayer walk across selected historic locations in Ibadan to seek divine protection, ward off premature deaths, and invoke ancestral intervention against the kidnapping syndicates operating within the state's deep forest corridors.