Panic gripped residents of Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Thursday after armed men reportedly stormed a secondary school in the area and abducted an unspecified number of students alongside the school principal.
The incident occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, throwing the community into confusion as parents and residents scrambled for information about the victims.
Community sources disclosed that the abductors also kidnapped the school principal, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, during the attack, while a teacher was reportedly shot by the gunmen before they fled the scene.
According to residents, the attackers later escaped through a forest reserve bordering the community after allegedly driving away in the principal’s vehicle.
“An unspecified number of students were abducted. We don’t know the exact number yet. The school principal, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, was also abducted and they shot a teacher,” a source within the community said.
The source further lamented the absence of a nearby security formation, noting that the closest police station to the community is the Ikoyi Division.
The incident created tension across the community as worried parents and relatives besieged the school premises amid fears over the safety of the abducted students and staff members.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson of the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed that there was an attack in the area but did not immediately verify the reported abduction of students and staff.
“There was an attack in that area. The Commissioner of Police is on his way to the area,” Ayanlade said during a telephone conversation.
Meanwhile, security operatives have reportedly launched efforts to track down the attackers, while residents called for improved security presence in rural communities vulnerable to criminal attacks.
