Unknown gunmen kidnapped 39 students and seven teachers in an ambush targeting numerous schools in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo State last week, officials and a Christian association have said.
The assault took place on Friday in the Ahoro Esinele community in the Oriire district, targeting a secondary school and two primary schools, officials said on Monday.
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Oyo State, Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya, noted that 46 people, especially children aged between two and 16 years, were abducted following the attacks.
In what police officials referred to as a “coordinated attack”, armed men simultaneously invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary in Yawota and two other schools in Esiele, snatching pupils and teachers.
Condemning the incident, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the attack is “barbaric”, while pledging that the federal government is working with the Oyo State to “release all the victims”.
“We expect a breakthrough soon,” Tinubu said in a statement released by his office.
Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde of Oyo State noted that one kidnapped teacher was killed on Sunday, citing a video. Six suspects have been arrested, including suspected informants and logistics suppliers to the kidnappers, he said.
A joint rescue operation consisting of military personnel, police officers, and local vigilantes was disrupted after encountering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the attackers, leaving several injured, Makinde added. 'Those wounded are receiving treatment,' he asserted.
Mass abductions by armed groups have escalated to a major national security crisis in Nigeria, as criminal gangs increasingly exploit security vulnerabilities to target travellers, students, and rural communities for ransom. Schools are often targeted, although such attacks are rare in the southwest of the country.
Gunmen Abduct 46 Students and Teachers in Coordinated Oyo School Attacks
Unknown gunmen kidnapped 39 students and seven teachers in an ambush targeting numerous schools in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo State last week, officials and a Christian association have said.
The assault took place on Friday in the Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire district, targeting a secondary school and two primary schools, officials said on Monday
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Oyo State, Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya, noted that 46 people, especially children aged between two and 16 years, were abducted following the attacks.
In what police officials referred to as a “coordinated attack”, armed men simultaneously invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary in Yawota, and two other schools in Esiele, snatching pupils and teachers.
Condemning the incident President Bola Amhed Tinubu said the attack is “barbaric”, while pledging that the federal government was working with the Oyo State to “release all the victims”.
“We expect a breakthrough soon,” Tinubu said in a statement released by his office.
Governor Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde of Oyo state stated that one kidnapped teacher was killed on Sunday, citing a video. Six suspects have been arrested, including suspected informants and logistics suppliers to the kidnappers, he said.
A joint rescue operation consisting of military personnel, police officers, and local vigilantes was disrupted after encountering improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by the attackers, leaving several injured, Makinde added. Those wounded are receiving treatment, he asserted.