A heartbroken farmer, Micheal Ojo, has narrated the terrifying moment armed terrorists stormed schools in Esiele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing residents and abducting dozens of pupils, including members of his own family.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, Ojo said four of his children, his daughter-in-law, and his grandchild were among those kidnapped during the coordinated attacks that threw the rural communities into panic and mourning.
According to him, the attackers arrived heavily armed and immediately opened fire around the schools, causing teachers, pupils, and residents to flee for safety.
“The principal of the community secondary school is a woman. When the kidnappers entered the school, they killed one primary school teacher while people were running everywhere in panic,” Ojo said.
He explained that after taking control of the school in Esiele, the gunmen gathered the pupils and forced the female principal to transport them into the forest using her Toyota Corolla car.
“After gathering the children, they forced the principal to drive her Corolla car while they packed the children inside the vehicle. That was how they moved the children into the forest reserve,” he recounted.
“After that community, there is no settlement again until deep inside the reserve. That is how massive the forest is.”
Ojo also revealed that some of the attackers disguised themselves in military uniforms during the assault on Yawota community, making it difficult for residents to immediately suspect danger.
“For Yawota community, the kidnappers were about eight in number. Some wore army uniforms while two others wore jalabiya,” he said.
He described how the peaceful farming community suddenly turned chaotic after gunshots rang out from inside the primary school.
“The whole community was quiet because most residents had already gone to their farms. Suddenly, we started hearing loud gunshots from inside the primary school,” he added.
The grieving farmer further narrated how a local tailor was killed during the attack after accompanying a commercial motorcyclist to the school.
“The motorcyclist parked his bike and stepped down to greet some friends in front of the school. The tailor even warned him not to go far because he would finish quickly,” Ojo explained.
“But as he attempted to run after the shooting started, the gunmen shot him dead. His head was shattered by the gunshots.”
According to him, while some older pupils managed to escape by jumping through classroom windows, several others were captured while trying to flee.
“When the kidnappers selected the children they wanted to take, some of the older children jumped through the windows and escaped. But not all of them succeeded because some were caught while trying to escape,” he said.
“As they marched the children away alongside my daughter-in-law, the kidnappers kept shouting at them to run while firing gunshots into the air.”
Ojo said the intensity of the gunfire kept many residents trapped indoors throughout the operation, while the attackers freely moved the victims through bush paths leading back toward Esiele and deeper into the forest reserve.
He also alleged that the gunmen stole motorcycles belonging to villagers as they retreated.
“Any motorcycle they found on the road, they took it away. They even stole the vulcaniser’s motorcycle parked directly opposite my house,” he said.
The attack has further intensified fears across Oyo communities already shaken by rising kidnappings and violent attacks targeting schools, farmers, and rural settlements.