The demolition of Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, reportedly carried out under the authority of the Baptist Church, is an outrageous assault on education, justice, and communal coexistence. This act represents not merely the destruction of a building, but the deliberate disruption of the lives and future of innocent children.
Baptist Primary School 1, Idikan, is a historic public primary school that has served the Idikan community for decades. The overwhelming majority of its pupils are Muslim children from the host community, a community that is itself predominantly Muslim. The demolition, therefore, strikes at the heart of a vulnerable population and raises legitimate fears of systemic bias and marginalisation.
The situation becomes even more disturbing when one considers what followed. The demolished school site has now been converted into a crusade ground. This development is indefensible and morally bankrupt. A public school was torn down, yet the same space is now deemed appropriate for religious crusades. This contradiction exposes the hollowness of any justification offered for the demolition. What could not be allowed to stand as a centre of learning has conveniently found new life as a platform for religious propaganda. This is not governance; it is displacement masked as administration.
If the demolition were genuinely rooted in legal, planning, or ownership concerns, the responsible path would have been dialogue, due process, and lawful resolution, not forceful destruction followed by religious appropriation. The conversion of a demolished public school into a crusade ground sends a dangerous signal: that education serving a particular community can be sacrificed to advance sectarian interests.
This action undermines trust, threatens peaceful coexistence, and deepens religious fault lines in a state that prides itself on tolerance and pluralism. No faith institution should advance its mission by trampling on the educational rights of children or inflaming communal tensions.
In light of this injustice, we demand an immediate and transparent explanation from the Oyo State Government on how and why this demolition was permitted, full accountability for all individuals and institutions involved in authorising and executing the demolition and the subsequent use of the site, urgent provision of alternative and adequate learning facilities for the displaced pupils before 5th of January 2025, reconstruction of new classrooms on the demolished land and clear public assurances that public schools and public assets will henceforth be protected from arbitrary destruction or repurposing along religious lines.
The destruction of a school is the destruction of opportunity. It is an act that impoverishes society and endangers the future. The people of Idikan and indeed all who believe in justice deserve answers, redress, and firm guarantees that such an abuse will never be repeated.
I reaffirm my commitment to peaceful advocacy, justice, and the defence of the educational rights of every Nigerian child, irrespective of faith or background.
Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade
Executive Member,
Muslim Community of Oyo State (MUSCOS)
Date: 30th December, 2025
