Terrorists again invaded three schools in the Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing an assistant headmaster, abducting teachers and pupils, and throwing several communities into panic in what residents described as one of the most coordinated attacks on schools in recent times.
The affected schools were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
According to PUNCH, the attackers stormed the communities in broad daylight, moving from one school to another while shooting sporadically as terrified pupils and teachers fled into nearby bushes for safety.
Residents said the gunmen arrived around 9am on motorcycles shortly after schools had commenced morning activities.
“They came in large numbers on motorcycles and started shooting immediately. Everybody ran. They moved from one school to another within minutes,” a resident narrated.
Sources said the attackers operated in a coordinated manner, raiding the schools almost simultaneously and creating confusion across the communities.
During the attack, the Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, identified as Joel Adesiyan, was shot dead while reportedly attempting to escape through a window.
“The assistant head teacher was trying to escape through the window, but he was shot dead,” a resident said.
Another victim, an okada rider, was also reportedly killed after unknowingly riding into the scene of the attack and getting caught in the crossfire.
Residents said the terrorists abducted the principal of Community Grammar School, Mrs Rachael Alamu, alongside five teachers and several pupils whose exact number remained unclear as of Friday night.
“They also took several pupils,” one source added.
The attack has sparked fear across the area, with many parents unable to account for the whereabouts of their children hours after the incident.
It was further reported that the gunmen used the principal’s vehicle to transport some of the abducted victims out of the community before allegedly setting the vehicle ablaze after it developed a fault while attempting to escape through difficult terrain.
“The schools are very close to each other, so the attack affected both at the same time. They used the principal’s car to move some of the abducted victims, but when the vehicle could not continue, they abandoned it and set it ablaze,” another resident said.
The traditional ruler of the community, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, confirmed the incident, revealing that the terrorists arrived on eight motorcycles carrying two armed men each.
“We were having a town hall meeting when we suddenly heard gunshots. People started running in all directions. Later, we discovered they had attacked the schools, killed a teacher and abducted pupils and the principal,” the monarch said.
He lamented that even kindergarten pupils were abducted during the invasion.
“They did not spare anyone. They abducted pupils from both primary and secondary schools, including very small children. We cannot even confirm the number yet,” he added.
Oba Abioye also blamed the scale of the attack on the absence of a nearby police station, saying security operatives arrived nearly two hours after the terrorists had fled.
“The police station is far from our community. It took them about two hours before they arrived,” he said.
Following the attack, the terrorists reportedly escaped into a forest reserve around the Old Oyo National Park axis while security operatives launched a rescue operation.
The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Abimbola, was said to have led tactical teams to the area as soldiers and police operatives combed the forests in search of the abductors and victims.
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