Family members, colleagues and sympathisers on Friday gathered in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, to bid farewell to Joel Adesiyan, one of the teachers killed during last week’s deadly attack on schools in the state.
The funeral service was held at Ayegun Baptist Church in Ogbomoso, where mourners paid their final respects amid tears and grief.
Photos from the ceremony showed sympathisers consoling the bereaved family as the remains of the late teacher were brought into the church for burial rites.
Adesiyan, who served as an assistant headmaster at Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, was killed during the May 15 attack carried out by armed men riding motorcycles.
The gunmen reportedly stormed communities along the Ahoro-Esiele/Yawota axis in Oriire Local Government Area, abducting dozens of students and seven teachers from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; L.A. Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
A commercial motorcyclist was also shot dead during the raid.
Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that seven teachers were kidnapped in the attack, while another teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later murdered while in captivity.
Public outrage followed the circulation of a viral video on Monday allegedly showing bandits beheading Oyedokun after tying him to a tree.
The disturbing footage reignited concerns over insecurity in schools and the fate of victims still being held by the attackers.
Although reports surfaced on Thursday claiming that the abducted victims had regained freedom, the Oyo State Government and the police dismissed the reports as untrue.
