The Yoruba Times Mourns: Mr. Michael Oyedokun and the Security Forces Who Paid the Ultimate Price

They should have come home yesterday. But they did not.

The Yoruba Times mourns deeply. We mourn Mr. Michael Oyedokun, the mathematics teacher who was beheaded by his captors just a day after the Oriire school abduction. We mourn the security personnel who fell in the line of duty, sacrificing their lives so that others could live. We mourn the soldiers, the police officers, the DSS operatives, and the hunters who walked into the valley of death and did not walk out.

Mr. Michael Oyedokun was a teacher. He taught numbers. He taught logic. He taught children to solve problems. But no one could solve the problem of his murder. No one could bring him back. He was beheaded just a day after the abduction. He did not see the rescue. He did not see the joy of freedom. He did not see his family again. His colleagues were freed. His students were freed. But Mr. Oyedokun was not there. He will never be there.

And then there are the security forces. The brave men and women who risked everything to bring the captives home. Lieutenant Felix Ademe Isaac paid the supreme sacrifice. He was among those who ran into the Improvised Explosive Devices planted by the abductors in the Old Oyo National Park. He died so that others could live. His colleagues in the military, the police, the DSS, and the local hunters also fell. They were not just numbers. They were fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands. They had dreams. They had families. They had futures. And they gave it all up for the sake of others.

We mourn them deeply. We mourn the teacher who was silenced. We mourn the soldiers who fell. We mourn the police officers who never returned. We mourn the hunters who walked into the forest and did not come back. We mourn the families who are now left with nothing but memories and the unbearable weight of loss.

They should have been rescued yesterday. They should have come home. But they did not.

The Yoruba Times does not mourn lightly. We mourn with the weight of the grief that these families carry. We mourn with the knowledge that these sacrifices must never be forgotten. We mourn with the resolve that their deaths must not be in vain.

Rest in peace, Mr. Michael Oyedokun. Rest in peace, Lieutenant Felix Ademe Isaac. Rest in peace, all the security personnel who paid the ultimate price. You are not forgotten. You will never be forgotten.

And to the families left behind, we say this: your loss is our loss. Your grief is our grief. Your pain is our pain. We stand with you. We mourn with you. And we will never stop demanding justice for your loved ones.

The Yoruba Times mourns. And we will never forget.