Gunmen have killed a school administrator and abducted several pupils, students and staff during coordinated attacks on two schools in Oyo State.
The incidents, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, threw communities in Oriire Local Government Area into panic, with residents fleeing over fears of further ആക്രമations.
The Oyo State Police Command confirmed the attacks, saying an assistant headmaster identified simply as Adesiyan was shot dead, while a commercial motorcyclist was also killed after allegedly resisting the assailants.
According to the police spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, the attackers, who operated on motorcycles, struck simultaneously at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and Community Grammar School/L.A Primary School, Esiele.
He disclosed that the gunmen abducted an unspecified number of pupils, students and staff, including the Vice Principal, Mrs Folawe Alamu.
“The command further gathered that Community Grammar School, Esiele, operates within the same premises as L.A Primary School, Esiele. The attackers, after abducting some victims, also took away a Toyota Corolla vehicle belonging to the abducted Vice Principal and later set it ablaze along the road leading to the forest,” Olayinka said.
He added that no pupil or student had been confirmed killed as of the time of filing this report.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, led a joint team of security operatives to the affected communities for an on-the-spot assessment.
The police said a comprehensive manhunt had been launched, with tactical teams and intelligence assets deployed to secure the area, rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
“The command has intensified surveillance and operational activities in the affected areas to forestall further breakdown of law and order,” the statement added.
Residents were urged to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid the ongoing rescue efforts.
The latest attack underscores growing concerns over the vulnerability of schools in rural communities, amid rising incidents of abductions targeting students and education workers across the country.
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