Wailing mothers and distraught residents on Saturday besieged communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State following the abduction of more than 45 pupils during coordinated attacks on three schools by suspected terrorists.
The assailants reportedly stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School on Friday morning, throwing the communities into panic.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that security operatives had intensified efforts to track the gunmen, who reportedly escaped through forest routes linking Oriire communities to the Old Oyo National Park axis.
Parents whose children were whisked away during the attack lamented the trauma and uncertainty surrounding the incident, calling on the state and Federal Government to urgently secure the release of the abducted pupils.
A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Elizabeth Olagoke, recounted how the attackers invaded the school during morning lessons.
According to her, the gunmen arrived around 8am on motorcycles, with two armed men on each bike.
She said the attackers spoke Yoruba, Hausa and Pidgin English while firing gunshots into the air to scare residents and schoolchildren.
“The terrorists entered my classroom first. I was carrying a two-year-old girl when they grabbed me.
I kept begging them before one of them ordered that I should be released,” she said.
Olagoke explained that the gunmen, who were dressed in camouflage and masked, operated for several minutes before fleeing with dozens of pupils and a teacher.
“They took schoolchildren from Yawota, Esinele and Alausa communities. In all, about 48 persons were abducted. They also stole motorcycles within the community,” she added.
The traditional ruler of Esiele community, the Eleshi Ele of Esiele, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, confirmed that at least 45 pupils were abducted during the attacks.
He said local authorities and security agencies had commenced efforts to rescue the victims.
A former lawmaker representing Oriire Constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, also disclosed that no fewer than 36 pupils were kidnapped from Baptist Nursery and Primary School alone.
Several mothers who spoke with Sunday PUNCH broke down in tears as they narrated how their children disappeared during the invasion.
One of them, Ajarah Ayanwale, said residents initially mistook the attackers for security personnel because they wore military uniforms.
“We saw them in army uniforms and thought they had come to protect us. Some people even thanked God that security had finally arrived in our community,” she said tearfully.
According to her, confusion erupted shortly after gunshots echoed across the area.
“We started hearing gunshots everywhere and everybody began running. Later, we discovered that our children had been taken away,” she said.
Ayanwale said her seven-year-old son in Primary 1 was abducted, while her younger child narrowly escaped.
“The kidnappers took children from different villages, including Yawota, Esiele, Alausa and Ohunya. We were told some children were carried on motorcycles while others were forced away.
The government should please help us bring our children back alive,” she pleaded.
Another mother, Shukurat Pius, said her five-year-old son, Stephen, was among those abducted.
She recalled that residents became suspicious after noticing unusual motorcycle movements around the communities before the attack.
“Some of the older pupils escaped through windows, but the little children who could not run were seized by the gunmen,” she said.
Pius added that while some pupils were transported on motorcycles, others were marched into the forest.
“I just want my son back alive. The government should come to our aid,” she cried.
For Nafisat Agunle, the disappearance of her eight-year-old son has left the family devastated.
She said the sound of gunshots sent residents into panic before news filtered in that armed men had attacked the schools.
“I rushed to the school and searched everywhere, but I could not find my child. Since then, we have not heard anything about him,” she said amid tears.
The attack has sparked fear across the affected communities, with many residents demanding stronger security presence to prevent further incidents.