46 children, teachers abducted in coordinated school attacks in southwest Nigeria

Forty-six people, mostly children aged 2 to 16, were abducted in coordinated attacks on three schools in Oyo state, southwest Nigeria, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria. Armed men stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esiele, killing at least one person and taking pupils and teachers. President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack as “barbaric” and said security forces are working to rescue the victims, while authorities suspect armed bandits may be expanding operations from northern Nigeria.

Forty-six people, most of them children aged between two and 16, were abducted during coordinated attacks on three schools in Oyo state, southwest Nigeria, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria. Elisha Olukayode Ogundiya, the association’s chairperson in the state, confirmed that the victims were taken during a series of raids carried out on Friday, describing the incident as one of the most serious school abductions in the region in recent times.
Police described the incident as a “coordinated attack,” noting that armed men simultaneously targeted Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota and two other schools in Esiele. During the assault, pupils and teachers were seized, and at least one person was killed. Authorities said the attackers operated in a coordinated manner, striking multiple locations at the same time before escaping with the victims.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the incident, calling it “barbaric,” and said the federal government was working closely with the Oyo state authorities to ensure the safe rescue of all abducted persons. He expressed optimism that security agencies would soon make progress in locating and freeing the victims, saying a breakthrough was expected in the ongoing search and rescue operation.
Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that seven teachers were among those taken and added that one person had been killed during the attack. He suggested that the perpetrators may be part of armed groups fleeing intensified military pressure in Nigeria’s northwest, warning that such groups could be expanding their operations into other parts of the country as security forces increase pressure in their strongholds.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the abductions, but authorities suspect armed banditry networks, which have been behind a series of kidnappings and violent attacks in recent years. The incident has raised renewed concerns about school security in southwest Nigeria, a region that has generally experienced fewer mass abductions compared to the country’s northwest and northeast.
The latest incident adds to a growing number of school-related kidnappings across Nigeria, with reports indicating nearly 90 people remain missing from similar attacks in different parts of the country in recent weeks. Earlier incidents include the abduction of children in Borno state and other violent raids on rural communities, highlighting the persistent security challenges facing several regions.