The police in Oyo has confirmed that gunmen on Friday invaded Community High School in Ahoro-Esinele community, Oriire local government area of the State and abducted the school principal and unspecified number of students.
In a statement by Ayanlade Olayinka, spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command on Friday, the incident occurred between 8:00am and 9:00am.
The statement added that attackers stormed the school premises during school hours and forcefully whisked away the principal, identified as Mrs Rachael Alamu, alongside several students whose exact number had yet to be determined as of the time of filing this report.
“Gunmen have invaded Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting the principal of a secondary school and an unspecified number of students,”
The statement further revealed that a teacher was shot during the attack, although the severity of the injury remained unclear.
“The source also said a teacher was shot during the attack, though the extent of the injury has not been confirmed,” Olayinka added.
According to residents, the armed men escaped with the abducted principal in her vehicle before fleeing into a forest reserve bordering the community.
Sources in the area said the attackers operated for several minutes without resistance, allegedly due to the distance of the nearest police station from the community, which delayed emergency response efforts.
“The gunmen fled the scene with the principal in her vehicle and escaped into a forest reserve bordering the community,” the police statement noted.
The incident has heightened fears among residents over worsening insecurity in rural communities and the increasing vulnerability of schools to attacks by armed groups.
The latest abduction adds to the growing list of attacks on schools across Nigeria, where terrorists, bandits and armed criminal groups have repeatedly targeted students and teachers for ransom.
