Attacks Target Oyo Schools

Security agencies must do more to secure the schools

On the last day of 2025, an attack in Ipele, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State forced residents to flee into nearby bushes. Authorities were alerted that the Southwest could become a new front for criminal cartels. The coordinated attacks last Friday on three schools and the abduction of pupils in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State confirmed that fear. According to reports, gunmen suspected to be terrorists on motorbikes attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele; and L.A Primary School. An assistant headmaster identified as Mr Adesiyan and a commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) were killed while a principal and scores of pupils were abducted.

Last weekend, a viral video of the abducted principal of Community Grammar School, Esiele, Mrs Alamu Folawe surfaced online. Obviously traumatised in the footage, she appealed to the federal government, the Oyo State Government, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and security agencies to ensure their safe release. That the attacks occurred in the same Oyo State where the Southwest governors officially launched ‘Operation Amotekun’ in January 2020 to combat rising insecurity in the region is rather ironic. In its statement last Sunday, Afenifere lamented: “The actions of South-West governors in recent times do not suggest that they appreciate the enormity of the responsibility they shoulder concerning the security of their land.”

Amid reports of infiltration of some terrorists fleeing into forests in the region, the Southwest Governors’ Forum pledged to establish a joint security surveillance to tackle the ISWAP threat. There is nothing on the ground to suggest any concrete efforts in that direction. Last year, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group warned of the implication of a growing threat to the South-West. “The sacking of communities in Kogi, Kwara, and other Middle Belt areas are grim reminders that terrorism is advancing toward the Southwest,” said Afenifere spokesman Jare Ajayi. “These are not just criminal elements looking for ransom…The type of weapons they use, the derring-do manner with which they attack, and the intensity of the damage they inflict show clear evidence of serious backers.”

Most reports indicate that ISWAP, an extremist group prevalent in the north-east and the southern Lake Chad Basin, is bent on expanding its spheres of influence and spreading terrorism across the country. In recent months, policemen, vigilantes, traditional rulers and many others have been reported as victims of ambushes by gunmen. For instance, on 10 September 2025, five security operatives comprising three police officers and two vigilante members were killed at Egbe, Kogi West Area, close to Ondo. Less than two weeks later, four other policemen were killed at a checkpoint in Abugi and Isanlu in Lokoja and Yagba East local government.

The killings, abductions of staff and students, and the wanton destruction of school structures are already impacting negatively on education, particularly in the far north. It is ominous that these criminal gangs are increasingly making schools in other regions their targets. The reason may be more opportunistic than ideological, considering the vulnerability of the education space, but it is nonetheless worrisome. We are never tired of recalling Manuel Fotaine’s observation, who currently serves as the Special Adviser, Child Rights, in the office of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director. He once reminded Nigerians that when teachers and learners are under repeated attacks, “not only are their lives shattered, but the future of the nation is also stolen.”

In recent days, President Bola Tinubu has offered the usual assurances. But talk is cheap. While efforts are ongoing to secure the release of the abducted Oyo State pupils and teachers, authorities in the country must work to put an end to this growing madness.