ABUJA, May 17: Armed gunmen stormed three schools in Nigeria’s Oyo State and abducted more than 45 school children in a coordinated daylight assault that has triggered panic across the southwest region and renewed fears over the country’s worsening insecurity.
The attackers stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area during morning classes.
The attackers, riding on motorcycles and fired shots indiscriminately as they targeted schools in Oriire Local Government Area during morning classes and fled into nearby forest areas as reported by Punch newspaper.
Security forces have launched a manhunt after sealing possible escape routes around the Old Oyo National Park axis.
The incident occurred on Friday in Oyo State, according to the report. One teacher told the newspaper the attackers were a group of young men wearing masks and camouflage. Three suspects have been detained in connection with the incident, Punch reported.
“The terrorists came around 8 a.m. while the morning session had already begun,” Elizabeth Olagoke, a teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, told local media.
“They arrived on six motorcycles, with two men on each bike. They were shouting in Yoruba, Hausa and Pidgin English before they started shooting sporadically, causing panic everywhere,” she said.
The incident triggered widespread fear across the state, with parents and residents demanding urgent government intervention.
Authorities had not yet confirmed the exact number of abducted pupils as of Sunday, while security operations were ongoing in the affected communities.
The fight against armed criminal groups remains a major challenge for the Nigerian government. Such groups have established camps in forests across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states, from where they launch raids on nearby communities. Militants seize livestock and property, and carry out killings and kidnappings of local residents.
The kids were abducted when Nigeria and the United States annouced that they have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation.
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.
IS has radically shifted in recent years, with around 90% of its attacks now taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Nigeria-based branch is by far the most active.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the two countries had carried out a “daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow” to IS.
Al Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
He was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
A military spokesman said intelligence had established Minuki had established a fortified base in the area – in Metele, Borno state. (UNI)
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