The Oyo State government has ordered the immediate closure of all public primary schools across four local government areas: Surulere, Oyo East, Oriire, and Olorunsogo. This directive came after an unspecified number of students were abducted on Friday from LEA School, Ahoro-Esinele, and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinele, both located in the Oriire local government area of the state. In addition to the students, the principal of the secondary school, identified as Mrs. Rachael Alamu, was also abducted, and a teacher was killed during the incident.

The decision to close the schools was announced by Dr. Nureni Adeniran, the Executive Chairman of the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB), in a statement issued on Friday. He explained that this temporary measure was taken to allow security agencies to stabilize the area and prevent any potential secondary incidents. OYOSUBEB expressed profound sorrow and deep concern over the attack, confirming the killing of a teacher and the kidnapping of several pupils.

At the time of reporting, the accurate number of students kidnapped remained unascertained, as security agencies were actively combing the affected areas to establish full details of the incident. Reports indicated that the gunmen stormed the Ahoro-Esinele community between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, driving the principal away in her car before escaping into a nearby forest reserve. The State Police command’s Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed an attack in the community but did not initially confirm any kidnappings, stating that the Commissioner of Police and his team were en route to the area.