BREAKING: Makinde Bans Nighttime Okada Operations Across Oyo State

Governor Seyi Makinde has signed an executive order imposing a strict nighttime restriction on commercial motorcycle (Okada) operations across Oyo State, citing urgent security measures aimed at curbing the state’s kidnapping crisis.

Under the new directive, motorcycle operations are prohibited between 10:30 PM and 5:30 AM throughout the state.

“The operation of motorcycles will now be restricted between the hours of 10:30pm and 5:30am. We will not relent until our kidnapped teachers and school children return home safely. Every day they remain in captivity is a painful day for their families and all of us in Oyo State,” Makinde announced on Friday.

The development follows the mass abduction on May 15, 2026, where armed gunmen simultaneously targeted three schools—Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School—in the Esiele community of Oriire Local Government Area.

The bandits abducted 39 students, including nursery pupils as young as two years old, along with seven teachers.