‘They released me because I was carrying a toddler’, teacher recounts how bandits abducted 45 pupils in Oyo

A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State, Elizabeth Olagoke, has recounted the terrifying moment the attackers invaded the school and abducted pupils.

According to her, the assailants arrived on motorcycles around 8 am, dressed in camouflage uniforms and speaking Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.

She explained that the gunmen entered classrooms while shooting into the air and ordered pupils and teachers around.

Olagoke said she narrowly escaped after pleading with the attackers to release her and a toddler she was carrying.

The bandits raided Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.

Other residents also said the men were heavily armed as they rode into the communities on Friday morning, firing sporadically and causing panic among pupils, teachers, and villagers.

Local sources disclosed that more than 45 pupils were taken away during the attack, while security agencies have since intensified efforts to rescue the victims.

She added that the attackers abducted children from several nearby communities, including Yawota, Esiele, and Alausa, before fleeing through nearby forest routes.

The traditional ruler of Esiele community, Tajudeen Abioye, confirmed the abduction and said efforts were ongoing to secure the safe return of the pupils.

A former lawmaker representing Oriire Constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, disclosed that dozens of pupils were taken from the Baptist school alone, while some teachers were also abducted from the secondary school.

Security sources revealed that three suspects had already been arrested in connection with the incident, with investigations continuing at the State Criminal Investigation Department.

Several parents who spoke after the attack described the emotional trauma of discovering their children were missing.

One mother, Ajarah Ayanwale, said residents initially mistook the attackers for security personnel because they appeared in military-style uniforms.

She explained that panic broke out after gunshots rang through the communities, adding that her seven-year-old son was among those abducted, while another child managed to escape.

Another parent, Shukurat Pius, said her five-year-old son was seized after some pupils attempted to flee through classroom windows.

According to her, younger children who could not escape quickly were rounded up by the attackers and forced onto motorcycles or marched into the forest.

Nafisat Agunle, whose eight-year-old son remains missing, said she had been unable to sleep or eat since the incident.

Another distressed mother, Adijat Ibrahim, expressed hope that her nine-year-old son would still return home safely despite the uncertainty surrounding the attack.

In the Esiele community, Serah Oguntunde said she watched helplessly as gunmen drove away with pupils, including her teenage daughter, Hanah Ojo, a student of Community Grammar School.

She alleged that the abductors used a vehicle reportedly driven by the school principal, who was also said to have been kidnapped during the incident.

Meanwhile, another resident, Selimat Abadi, revealed that two of her children were abducted simultaneously, describing the situation as heartbreaking.

A local farmer, Gabriel Sunday, also said two of his children were among the victims, while a third child escaped through the bush during the chaos.

Reacting to the worsening insecurity, the Oodua People’s Congress National Coordinator and Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, warned that terrorists and bandits had infiltrated South-West states.

Adams argued that insecurity in the region would persist unless state police structures were established and local security outfits were properly empowered to operate alongside governors and conventional security agencies.

He stated that recent attacks across Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo states suggested that criminal groups were gradually expanding operations into the South-West.

The Oyo State Government later disclosed that security operatives had surrounded suspected escape routes around the Old Oyo National Park axis.

Commissioner for Information Dotun Oyelade said combined teams of the Nigerian Army, police, Amotekun operatives, hunters, and Civil Defence personnel had been deployed to track the abductors and rescue the victims.

He also noted that authorities were still working to confirm the exact number of abducted pupils, as schools had yet to provide complete attendance records.

The state government assured residents that efforts were ongoing to rescue all victims safely and restore calm to the affected communities.

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