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Oyo Abduction: Stop issuing condolence messages, take measurable action, NLC tells govts
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged governments at all levels to move beyond offering rhetoric and condolence messages to taking concrete and measurable steps to tackle the worsening insecurity across the country.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, expressed the labour group’s solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) over the recurring cases of abduction of its members and students in the country.
“We recognise the tricky operational situation in Oyo. We nonetheless use this opportunity to once again call on the government at all levels to rise beyond the ritual of “we are on top of the situation” and condolence messages to concrete and measurable action,” Mr Ajaero said.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress wishes to express solidarity with the striking members of NUT (Nigeria Union of Teachers) over the serial cases of abduction of its members and students/pupils,” the statement said.
The NLC said the well-coordinated demonstration by the NUT, led by its president, Comrade Titus Audu Amba, represented the resolve of teachers “to take their destiny in their hands instead of waiting to be slaughtered to the last person.”
“The action equally represents a gentle but unignorable nudge on the governments to take more seriously the growing insecurity industry.”
Mr Ajaero lamented about how teachers, pupils, students, local government workers, doctors, nurses and health personnel are frequently victims of banditry and other criminal activities in the country.
“We are heart-broken by the ugly pictures of our children, held and tortured by depraved bandits in the forests of Oyo state. As a nation, we cannot continue to fold our hands while this horror movie continues to play, from Zamfara to Oyo, from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt,” he said.
He noted that the NLC would not hesitate to initiate a solidarity action with the teachers or any other group of workers if the government does not treat the security of lives as paramount.
He warned that the country is losing the war against insecurity, as other major or mass abductions have taken place in Plateau, Kogi and other areas in the aftermath of the Oriire abduction in Oyo State.
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has continued to spread geographically, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting cases across 61 health zones in six provinces.
The WHO disclosed this in its latest outbreak situation update issued on Thursday, saying the outbreak had expanded to Kayna Health Zone in North Kivu.
The affected provinces are Bas-Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo.
Transmission remains a concern
According to the latest WHO update, transmission patterns remain variable, with evidence of continued geographical expansion and sustained increases in cases across some affected health zones despite ongoing response efforts.
The agency said delayed detection remained a major concern, increasing the risk of further transmission within households, communities and healthcare facilities.
It said limited access to early treatment and difficulties in interrupting transmission were also contributing to the challenges faced by the response.
In addition, the WHO said these challenges required strengthened surveillance, rapid response measures and early treatment to help interrupt transmission.
As of 7 September, the DRC had recorded 6,757 confirmed Ebola cases caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 3,267 deaths.
The figures represent a crude case fatality ratio of 48.3 per cent, according to the WHO.
Outbreak challenges
The latest development comes less than a month after the WHO described the outbreak as the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record.
At the time, 4,449 confirmed cases had been recorded across 53 health zones in five provinces.
The WHO had also warned that the outbreak was spreading faster than previous Ebola outbreaks at the same stage and was on course to potentially surpass the 2014–2016 West African outbreak, which remains the largest recorded Ebola outbreak.
The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus.
READ ALSO: UK increases Ebola response funding to £78.7m
Unlike the Zaire species, which has caused several previous Ebola outbreaks and for which the Ervebo vaccine is used, there is currently no licensed vaccine specifically approved for Bundibugyo virus disease.
In August, the WHO said a high proportion of cases were being detected in communities rather than treatment centres and outside known contact lists, suggesting that some chains of transmission remained unidentified.
The agency had said response measures included contact tracing, treatment centres, safe burial teams, laboratories and community engagement activities.
The WHO said the continued geographical expansion of the outbreak highlights the need to strengthen surveillance and ensure early detection and treatment, particularly in affected communities and healthcare facilities.
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Nigerian striker Okiki Akinwande has earned a major opportunity to test himself in European top-flight football after completing a loan move to KFC Komárno in Slovakia from Czech side MFK Karviná.
The 19-year-old centre-forward has joined Komárno until the end of the 2026/27 season, with the Slovakian club confirming the arrival of the promising Nigerian attacker as part of their squad reinforcement.
Akinwande arrives in Slovakia after making a strong impression in the Czech youth system. The 1.92m striker scored nine goals in nine matches for Karviná’s youth side, underlining his finishing ability and providing the platform for his move into senior football.
He also made his senior debut for MFK Karviná B in the Czech third-tier MSFL, featuring in the 2025/26 campaign before making another appearance at the beginning of the current season. Official league records list him with four MSFL appearances and 154 minutes overall.
Now, Akinwande faces a significantly bigger challenge in the Niké Liga, Slovakia’s top division, where he will have the opportunity to compete against established professional teams.
His move to KFC Komárno is viewed as an important development step, allowing the Nigerian forward to gain valuable senior experience and adapt to the physical and tactical demands of first-team football.
Komárno, based in southern Slovakia, have strengthened their squad with young African talent ahead of the ongoing campaign, with Akinwande joining Ghanaian winger Emmanuel Oppong as the club’s latest additions.
For Akinwande, the loan represents a chance to turn his impressive youth-level scoring record into senior-level performances.
The Nigerian will now look to establish himself in Slovakia, compete for regular playing time and show that his goalscoring form in the Czech youth league can translate to the professional stage.
At 19, the striker has already taken an important step from academy football into senior European competition.
Nine goals in nine youth games earned him the opportunity — now Okiki Akinwande has Slovakia waiting.
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