Fear and uncertainty have continued to grip communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State following the coordinated attack on three educational institutions in the rural communities of Ahoro-Esin-Ile, Yawota and Alawusa on May 15, as survivors and families of victims recounted their ordeal.
Among those still struggling to come to terms with the attack is Aminat, a student who narrowly escaped when armed men stormed her school while examinations were underway.
Narrating her experience to a Nigerian filmmaker and On-air Personality, Chude Jideonwo, Aminat said what began as a normal school day quickly turned into chaos when gunshots rang out across the school premises.
“We were writing an exam when we heard them shooting. That’s how we ran into the bush. Even our teacher ran away. We haven’t seen him since then,” she said.
The student recalled that amid the confusion and stampede that followed, pupils scattered in different directions in a desperate bid to save their lives. According to her, it was only after the family conducted frantic searches that they realised her elder brother was among those missing.
“Since then I have not seen my elder brother. After searching everywhere and he was nowhere to be found, that’s how we knew he was missing,” she said.
Residents said the attack occurred simultaneously across the affected communities, catching many families and school authorities off guard. The attackers left behind scattered books, bags and personal belongings as evidence of the panic that followed.
At the Baptist school in Esin-Ile, where some of the victims were taken, pupils’ boxes and school bags remained strewn across classrooms long after the attackers had fled. The incident has now left parents devastated and fearful for the safety of their children.
One of the affected parents, identified simply as Mama Muheez, who is the mother of Aminat, said her eight-year-old son, Abdulraman, was among those abducted.
“When they finished eating, they went to school. We heard they were kidnapped before 11 a.m. The government told us they have been looking for them. It has been difficult. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep,” she said.
She added that the remaining children in her family are too frightened to return to school. “For now they can’t go back to school because we are scared. The government should help us. These children are my life,” the mother of six said.
As security agencies and local volunteers mobilised to rescue the abducted victims, tragedy struck again.
One of the residents, Adigun Michael, disclosed that his brother, Shuaibu Adigun, was killed during efforts to locate the kidnapped children after rescuers encountered explosives planted along access routes by the attackers.
“My brother was among those who went in search of the kidnapped children, but they laid mines along the road. It was the bomb that my brother matched and died,” he said.
Michael said his late brother worked at the national park and left behind a wife and children. “The pain is much,” he added.
Residents believe the attackers escaped through routes linked to the old Oyo National Park after carrying out the operation. The attack has left the affected communities traumatised, with many schools yet to resume normal activities.
The Mogaji of the community, Yekini Abioye, described the incident as unprecedented in the history of the community. “It was around 9 a.m. that we started hearing gunshots and they said bandits were in town. This has never happened in this town. We are shattered as a community,” he said.
According to him, the attack has left residents traumatised and fearful, with many parents refusing to allow their children return to school. “They first killed a vigilante person. We need the army around here. The children can’t return to school for now,” Abioye added. The bandits also reportedly killed a man on a bike who refused to let go of it.
For Sarah Aina, the attack has brought fresh anguish to a family already coping with loss. She said one of her twin children was taken away while sitting for an examination. “My kids are twins. They were writing an exam when the bandits came and asked them to stand up. That’s how they picked one of the twins,” she said.
Aina, who is raising the children after the death of their parents, appealed to government authorities to intensify efforts to secure the victims’ release. “We ask the government to help us. We are still scared,” she said.