The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB) has confirmed that a teacher was killed, while a school principal and several students were abducted after gunmen invaded a secondary school in the Ahoro-Esinele community of Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The incident occurred on Friday morning at Community High School, throwing the community into panic as residents and parents sought information about the victims.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Executive Chairman of OYOSUBEB, Nureni Adeniran, described the attack as a tragic development for the state’s education sector.
He said, “This is a dark and painful moment for our education family in Oyo State, and our hearts are with the affected parents, teachers, and the entire community.
“We mourn with the family of the teacher whose life was tragically cut short. His service, dedication, and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Residents disclosed that the attackers stormed the school between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., shot a teacher dead, and abducted the school principal, identified as Rachael Alamu, alongside an unspecified number of students.
The assailants, reportedly armed, were said to have fled into a nearby forest reserve bordering the community after carrying out the attack.
The spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Ayanlade Olayinka, confirmed the incident, noting that security operatives had been deployed to the area.
According to him, the command is still verifying the exact number of students abducted during the attack.
He added that the Commissioner of Police had moved to the community with a tactical team to coordinate rescue operations and assess the situation.
Adeniran appealed to parents and residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies handling the rescue efforts and ongoing investigation.
The attack has heightened concerns over growing insecurity in parts of Oyo State.
The development comes weeks after suspected gunmen attacked travellers along the Ibadan–Ijebu Road in a failed kidnap attempt that left one person dead.
