Panic as Gunmen Abduct Scores of Pupils, Teachers in Coordinated Attack on Oyo Schools

Fear and confusion have gripped communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State following the abduction of no fewer than 45 pupils during a coordinated attack on three schools by heavily armed gunmen on Friday morning.

The schools attacked include Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and L.A. Primary School. Residents said the assailants stormed the communities around 8am, firing sporadically and forcing terrified pupils and teachers into nearby forests bordering the Old Oyo National Park axis.

The attack, which lasted only a few minutes, has left families devastated as parents continue searching desperately for their missing children while security operatives intensify rescue efforts across the forest corridors.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on six motorcycles, with two armed men on each bike. The gunmen, who wore military camouflage and masks, reportedly spoke Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English, creating initial confusion among residents who mistook them for security personnel.

A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Elizabeth Olagoke, recounted the terrifying moments the gunmen invaded the school premises.

According to her, classes had already commenced when the armed men suddenly stormed the school compound, shouting orders and firing gunshots into the air.

“The terrorists came around 8am while we were already teaching. They arrived on motorcycles and started shooting immediately. They shouted in Yoruba, saying, ‘E ya wolé’ meaning ‘come inside,’ and everywhere became chaotic,” she said.

Olagoke explained that the attackers first entered her classroom, where they seized her alongside a two-year-old child she was carrying.

“I pleaded with them, and one of them ordered that I should be released. As I ran for safety, some of them even chased after me,” she added.

The visibly traumatised teacher disclosed that many of the abducted children were from Yawota, Esiele, and Alausa communities.

“I had about 20 children in my class. The attackers abducted pupils from different villages. They also kidnapped a teacher and stole motorcycles belonging to residents. One motorcyclist was killed during the attack,” she said.

Traditional ruler of the community, the Eleshi Ele of Esiele, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, confirmed that about 45 pupils were abducted during the invasion.

The monarch stated that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims and restore calm to the affected communities.

A former lawmaker representing Oriire Constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, who visited the area after the incident, said 36 pupils were taken from Baptist Nursery and Primary School alone, while several teachers from the secondary school were also kidnapped.

Residents said the attackers exploited the trust of villagers by disguising themselves as security operatives deployed to safeguard the area.

One of the affected parents, Ajarah Ayanwale, said many villagers initially welcomed the armed men before gunshots suddenly erupted.

“We saw men in army uniforms entering the community and believed they were there to protect us. Some residents even thanked God that security had finally arrived,” she said tearfully.

Ayanwale explained that panic spread moments later when gunfire echoed across the villages.

“We started hearing gunshots shortly after. People ran in different directions, and everyone became worried about the safety of the children in school,” she said.

According to her, while her seven-year-old son was abducted, her younger child managed to escape.

Another distraught mother, Shukurat Pius, said her five-year-old son, Stephen, was among those abducted.

She recalled that some pupils escaped by jumping through windows, while younger children who could not flee were seized by the gunmen.

“Some children escaped through the windows, but the little ones who could not run were captured,” she said emotionally.

Pius added that the attackers forced some children onto motorcycles while others were marched deep into the forest on foot.

Similarly, Nafisat Agunle described the emotional trauma she has endured since her eight-year-old son disappeared during the attack.

“I have not slept, eaten, or even bathed properly since my child went missing. We never imagined such a thing could happen in this community,” she lamented.

Another resident, Adijat Ibrahim, said she still hopes her nine-year-old son, Muhammed, will suddenly return home safely.

“He left home very early because he loves going to school on time. After the shooting stopped, I rushed to the school, but everywhere was deserted,” she said while fighting back tears.

In Esiele community, Serah Oguntunde said she watched helplessly as the gunmen fled with schoolchildren, including her 13-year-old daughter, Hanah Ojo, a JSS1 pupil at Community Grammar School.

Oguntunde explained that she was heading to the farm when gunshots suddenly erupted.

“We saw the gunmen driving away with some schoolchildren in a vehicle. The principal was reportedly forced to drive them before the vehicle was later set ablaze,” she recounted.

For Selimat Abadi, the tragedy became even more painful after two of her children were abducted simultaneously.

“One is eight years old and the other is five. They both left for school very early because they love education,” she said.

Another resident, Gabriel Sunday, said only one of his three children returned home after escaping through the bush.

“My six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter were abducted. The child who escaped told us he ran through the bush after the attackers seized his classmates,” he said.

Amid growing fear across the South-West, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress, Gani Adams, warned that terrorists and bandits had increasingly infiltrated states in the region.

Speaking on the worsening insecurity, Adams said recent attacks in Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo states suggested that criminal groups were testing the region’s security structure.

According to him, local security outfits such as the OPC have been unable to operate effectively because they lack government approval and legal backing to bear arms.

“There is nothing we can do without state police or government support for local security groups. The South-West has already been infiltrated, and unless urgent action is taken, insecurity will continue to worsen,” he warned.

He argued that governors across the region must begin collaborating more closely with local security groups familiar with forests and rural routes often used by kidnappers.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Government said security operatives had surrounded suspected escape routes used by the kidnappers within the National Park axis.

The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, disclosed that joint rescue operations involving the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Civil Defence Agro Rangers, Amotekun Corps, and local hunters had commenced immediately after the attack.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ayodeji Abimbola, was coordinating operations alongside security authorities in neighbouring Kwara State to prevent the suspects from escaping across state boundaries.

Oyelade revealed that intelligence reports suggested the abductors remained within forest locations around the National Park.

He explained that three separate patrol teams comprising Amotekun operatives and local hunters from seven local government areas had already been deployed toward Igbeti, Oloka, and surrounding communities.

Authorities, however, admitted that rescue efforts had become more complicated because schools were yet to provide accurate figures for the number of abducted children.

“What we are trying to do now is to determine their exact location and apply pressure,” Oyelade stated.

The attack has also triggered heightened security measures across South-West states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Ekiti, amid fears that terrorist groups may expand operations into the region.

In Ondo State, Amotekun Commander Akogun Adetunji Adeleye said security patrols along border communities had been intensified, while forests and schools were now under round-the-clock surveillance.

The Ondo State Police Command also confirmed the deployment of anti-kidnapping squads, intelligence officers, tactical units, and mobile police personnel to vulnerable areas.

In Osun State, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Samuel Ojo, described the school abduction as disturbing and said border surveillance had already been strengthened.

Similarly, the Ogun State Government said security agencies were currently combing forests and flashpoints across the state to prevent criminal infiltration.

Ekiti State authorities also disclosed that security personnel had been deployed to schools and other public facilities under the state’s Safe School Project initiative.

In Lagos, the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assured residents that adequate security structures remained in place to prevent similar attacks.

Officials urged residents across the South-West to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to security agencies as efforts continue to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers unharmed.