Gunmen Attack Oyo Schools in Coordinated Raid, Teacher Killed, Several Pupils Abducted
By Ranti Thomas
Panic erupted across parts of Oyo State after armed men launched a coordinated assault on schools in Orire Local Government Area, leaving a school official dead and several pupils and residents reportedly abducted.
The attackers were said to have arrived on motorcycles in the early hours of the morning, striking multiple communities almost simultaneously and triggering chaos as students and teachers fled classrooms for safety.
The affected schools include Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and L.A. Primary School, where an assistant headmaster, Joel Adesiyan, was reportedly shot dead during the invasion.
Eyewitnesses said the gunmen moved quickly between locations, firing shots sporadically and forcing terrified residents to run into surrounding bushes, while parents scrambled to locate missing children in the aftermath of the attack.
A commercial motorcyclist was also reportedly killed after resisting attempts by the assailants to seize his motorcycle during the violent operation.
Security operatives were later deployed to the affected communities, launching search-and-rescue operations aimed at tracking the abductors and recovering victims still unaccounted for.
In response to the worsening security situation, the Oyo State Government ordered a temporary closure of schools in the affected areas, later announcing plans to reopen some institutions after deploying additional security personnel to restore order and prevent further attacks.