Gunmen attack Oyo community, abduct school principal, students
Tension gripped residents of Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday after suspected gunmen invaded a secondary school and abducted an unspecified number of students and the school principal.
The assailants were said to have stormed Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, between 8am and 9am, causing panic among students, teachers and residents of the area.
Sources within the community disclosed that the attackers whisked away several students during the raid, although the exact number of abducted students could not be immediately confirmed.
The school principal, Mrs Rachael Alamu, was also reportedly kidnapped during the attack.
A source familiar with the incident further revealed that one of the teachers in the school sustained gunshot injuries after the gunmen opened fire.
According to the source, the attackers fled the scene in the principal’s vehicle before escaping into a nearby forest reserve bordering the community.
“Some students were abducted, but nobody can say the exact number for now.
The principal was also taken away, and one teacher was shot during the incident,” the source said.
The source added that the remoteness of the community and the distance to the nearest police station may have delayed security response to the attack.
“The closest police division to the area is the Ikoyi Division,” the source added.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed that security operatives were responding to an attack in the community.
He, however, declined to confirm the reported abduction of the students and principal.
Ayanlade disclosed that the Commissioner of Police and other senior officers had proceeded to the area for an on-the-spot assessment.
“There was an attack in the area, and the Commissioner of Police is already on his way there with his team,” he said.