Teachers across Oyo State, in southwestern Nigeria, walked off the job on Monday in an open-ended strike called by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), more than two weeks after gunmen abducted dozens of schoolchildren and their teachers in a coordinated raid on multiple schools. The strike, which applies to both primary and secondary schools, will continue "till further notice," the union said, demanding the safe return of those still held captive.

The abductions took place on May 15, when armed attackers simultaneously struck Baptist Nursery and Primary School in the community of Yawota and two other schools in nearby Esiele. Seven teachers and between 25 and 39 children aged two to 16 were seized — the discrepancy in figures reflects differing accounts from the state governor and the Christian Association of Nigeria. Nigeria's army has attributed the attack to Boko Haram jihadists, though it described the incident as isolated and said no permanent militant base had been identified in the region. Kidnappings for ransom are a persistent crisis in Nigeria's north and centre, but such mass abductions are highly unusual in Oyo, one of the country's most populous states and home to Ibadan, a major educational hub.

The NUT said it was driven to act by the "continued detention" of its members and students "without any clear sign of their timeous rescue and safe release." The union warned that the situation had "created fear and hopelessness in teachers, discouraged parents from sending their children to schools and caused panics and tensions across all communities." Teachers were instructed to remain at home and "stay law-abiding" while calling on authorities to intensify rescue efforts.

The Nigerian military has been conducting intensified operations against jihadist groups in the country's north, in collaboration with the United States military — pressure that analysts suggest may have pushed some armed factions southward into states less accustomed to such violence. President Bola Tinubu responded on Sunday by announcing the recruitment of 1,000 forest rangers in Oyo State and the dispatch of a high-level federal delegation including the minister of defence and the inspector general of police. A special investigation team has also been established to support the search, which remains ongoing.

The episode has revived painful memories of mass school kidnappings that have periodically shocked Nigeria over the past decade, and underscores the difficulty authorities face in containing militant activity as it spreads beyond its traditional strongholds in the northeast and northwest of the country.