Panic swept through the Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Thursday after gunmen reportedly invaded a secondary school and abducted an unspecified number of students alongside the school principal.
The attack reportedly occurred between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, leaving residents and parents scrambling for information about the victims.
Sources in the community said the abductors also kidnapped the school principal, Mrs Rachael Alamu, during the raid.
The gunmen were further alleged to have shot a teacher before fleeing the area.
According to residents, the attackers later drove away in the principal’s vehicle and escaped through a forest reserve bordering the community.
“One teacher was shot and an unspecified number of students were abducted. The principal, Mrs Rachael Alamu, was also taken,” a community source said.
The source added that the nearest police formation to the community is the Ikoyi Division, noting concerns about delayed security response in the rural area.
The incident threw the community into tension as worried parents and relatives gathered at the school premises amid fears over the safety of the abducted students and staff.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, said there was an attack in the area.
He, however, did not immediately confirm whether any students or staff members had been abducted.
“There was an attack in that area. The Commissioner of Police is on his way to the area,” he said during a telephone conversation.
Security operatives were said to have begun efforts to track down the attackers, while residents called for increased security presence in vulnerable rural communities.
