Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Security was tightened around the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday amid rising concerns over a planned protest calling for the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State.
A combined team of police officers, Department of State Services (DSS) operatives, and military personnel took positions at strategic points around the Villa, subjecting vehicles and visitors to critical checks before granting access.
Workers entering the State House were also required to undergo additional verification procedures, with security personnel closely monitoring movements in and around the complex.
The heightened security measures caused traffic gridlock on major roads leading to the Presidential Villa, especially along the Asokoro and Federal Secretariat corridors, as authorities restricted access to the seat of government.
The move came less than 24 hours after activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore threatened to lead protesters to the Presidential Villa over the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State.
Sowore had called for the immediate rescue of about 46 pupils and teachers kidnapped from schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15. He warned that if authorities failed to act swiftly, concerned citizens would be compelled to take their demands directly to the nation’s seat of power.
The planned protest is part of growing public anger over the abduction, which has triggered nationwide reactions from civil society groups, labour unions and education stakeholders.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers has intensified its demand for swift government intervention, urging security agencies to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped victims and prevent future assaults on educational institutions across the country.