Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has confirmed that seven teachers were abducted during a terrorist attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, adding that one of the victims has been killed in captivity.
Speaking during a press briefing on Sunday, Makinde described the situation as “difficult and challenging,” saying the state government was intensifying efforts to rescue the remaining abductees.
The attack occurred on Friday when gunmen riding motorcycles invaded communities along the Ahoro-Esiele and Yawota axis in Oriire, Ogbomoso. The attackers targeted several schools, including Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, L.A. Primary School, Esiele, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School.
The assault left an assistant headmaster, identified as Joel Adesiyan, and a commercial motorcyclist dead. Authorities are still working to confirm the exact number of students abducted during the incident.
Makinde said intelligence confirmed the killing of one of the abducted teachers, identified as a mathematics teacher, after a video was received by the state government.
“What we know is that seven teachers in all were abducted and unfortunately, we got a video this morning that one of the teachers, the maths teacher, was killed by the terrorists this morning,” he said.
In the aftermath of the attack, videos circulated on social media showing abducted teachers pleading for urgent government intervention. One of the clips featured Rachael Alamu, principal of Community High School, Esiele, appealing for swift rescue efforts.
The governor also confirmed that security agencies had arrested six individuals within the affected communities over alleged links to the attackers, alongside three other “persons of interest.”
“The information available from the commissioner of police is that six individuals have been arrested within the locality. Some of them were believed to perhaps be informants,” Makinde said.
He added that police, military personnel, operatives of the Western Nigeria Security Network (Amotekun), and local hunters had been deployed for rescue operations, though some operatives were injured after encountering improvised explosive devices planted by the attackers.
Makinde linked the attack to increasing pressure on terrorist groups in the north-east, warning that displaced fighters were moving into other regions, including the south-west.
He stressed the need for sustained security presence in vulnerable communities, warning that short-term clearance operations would not prevent repeat attacks.
The governor assured residents that both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies were being deployed to secure the release of abducted victims and strengthen security in the area, urging calm as efforts continued.
Erizia Rubyjeana
