Nollywood’s Mary Njoku Slams Public Apathy Over Oyo Abduction

Nollywood actress and ROK Studios producer Mary Njoku expressed outrage this week over what she described as troubling public apathy toward the continued captivity of pupils and teachers abducted more than five weeks ago from schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, questioning why the crisis had not generated sustained national mobilisation.

Njoku, in comments shared widely on social media, said she found it disturbing that life appeared to be going on as normal for many Nigerians while dozens of children and their teachers remained in the custody of armed kidnappers in forest terrain. She asked pointedly why the country’s response to the crisis had not matched the scale of the tragedy, drawing comparisons to how other nations respond when children are endangered.

Her comments add the voice of one of Nigeria’s most prominent entertainment industry figures to a chorus of public figures, including Femi Falana, Falz, VeryDarkMan, and Omoyele Sowore, who have used their platforms to keep pressure on the federal and Oyo State governments over the unresolved abduction. The Nigeria Union of Teachers’ strike in Oyo State, now well into its third week, continues to keep hundreds of schools closed.

Entertainment Figures Increasingly Vocal on Insecurity

Njoku’s intervention reflects a broader trend of Nigerian celebrities becoming more directly engaged in commentary on national security failures, a departure from the historically more cautious stance many entertainment figures have taken on overtly political issues. Analysts say the sustained nature of the Oyo crisis, now Nigeria’s longest unresolved mass abduction in recent memory, has made silence increasingly untenable for public figures with large platforms.

Furthermore, Governor Seyi Makinde reiterated this week that intelligence-led negotiations were continuing alongside military and police operations, while declining to provide specific details that could compromise the safety of the hostages or the integrity of the rescue effort. He said the government remained in close contact with the families of the victims.

However, the absence of a confirmed breakthrough after more than five weeks continues to generate intense frustration. Notably, the case has drawn comparisons to the Borno Mandara Mountains rescue operation, which successfully freed 360 Boko Haram captives after months of planning, suggesting that complex hostage situations can be resolved with sufficient resources and patience. Consequently, public figures like Njoku argue that the government’s capacity to achieve such results elsewhere makes the continued captivity in Oyo even harder to accept.

Tofa Alleges Politicians Collected Mobilisation Money From Him

In a separate and unrelated national story, businessman and politician Bashir Tofa alleged in an interview that the same politicians who once collected mobilisation funds from him during a previous election cycle had also collected money from the late MKO Abiola, raising fresh questions about the financial dynamics of Nigeria’s historic political contests. Former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar was referenced in the same report as having received similar claims. As a result, the disclosure has reignited public interest in the financial undercurrents of Nigeria’s democratic history just days after the country marked Democracy Day.