Fear swept through parts of Oyo State on Friday after armed men attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area, killing an assistant headmaster and taking away several pupils and teachers.
The assailants struck in the morning at Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and L.A. Primary School, moving between the locations within minutes and firing shots that sent children and residents running for safety.
Witnesses said the attackers arrived on multiple motorcycles around the time pupils had assembled for the day’s activities. The gunmen reportedly entered the school premises and nearby streets, shooting sporadically as they advanced from one campus to another.
During the chaos, the Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, was fatally shot while attempting to escape. An unsuspecting commercial motorcyclist who rode into the scene was also killed after being caught in the gunfire.
Residents said the principal of Community Grammar School, Mrs Rachael Alamu, was taken along with at least five teachers and an undetermined number of pupils.
Community members believe the number of abducted children could be high, particularly from the secondary school, although officials have yet to confirm exact figures.
Some locals claimed the attackers commandeered the principal’s vehicle to move victims out of the area. The vehicle was later abandoned and set ablaze after it reportedly broke down on rough terrain, further deepening panic in the community.
The traditional ruler of Esiele, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, said the gunmen arrived on about eight motorcycles, each carrying two armed men. He explained that the first sounds of gunfire were heard while a community meeting was in progress, causing people to scatter before news filtered in that schools had been targeted.
He lamented the distance to the nearest police station, saying it took security personnel close to two hours to reach the area after the attack had ended.
Security agencies, including the police and the military, later moved into the area and began combing nearby forests believed to be the escape route of the attackers. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ayodeji Abimbola, was said to have led tactical teams to the communities as search-and-rescue efforts continued into the night.
The Chairman of Oriire LGA, Michael Olateju, said the attackers entered through the Yawota axis, describing the terrain as remote and difficult to access quickly. A former lawmaker from the constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, called for the establishment of a military post around the affected communities, citing their proximity to forest reserves.
Families of missing pupils were left in distress. One relative said his 16-year-old niece, a junior secondary school student, had not returned home since leaving for school that morning, and the family was unsure whether she was among those abducted.
In response to the incident, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board ordered the temporary closure of schools in Oriire and neighbouring local government areas, including Surulere Local Government Area, Oyo East Local Government Area and Olorunsogo Local Government Area, as a precaution while security operations continue.
The state police command confirmed the deaths of the teacher and the motorcyclist, adding that both staff members and pupils were among those abducted, though no child fatality had been officially recorded at the time of reporting.
In a related development, another school attack was reported on Friday in Mussa community near the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State. Local sources said gunmen stormed the school shortly after security patrol teams had left, and several pupils fled into surrounding bushes.
The Deputy Speaker of the state assembly, Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the incident but said details were still being gathered. A youth leader in the area, Samaila Kaigama, said an unspecified number of children were taken during the attack on the day school.
Police authorities in Borno said they were working to verify reports as of Friday evening.
The twin incidents have renewed concerns about the vulnerability of schools, particularly in rural communities close to forests, as authorities race to locate the abducted victims and restore calm.
