Gunmen have attacked Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting a secondary school principal and an unspecified number of students in a morning raid on Friday.
The assault reportedly took place between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. at Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, according to local sources.
A resident said the attackers stormed the school premises, whisked away several students whose number is yet to be confirmed, and abducted the principal, identified as Rachael Alamu.
The source also reported that a teacher was shot during the attack, although the severity of the injury has not been confirmed.
The gunmen were said to have fled with the principal in her vehicle, escaping into a nearby forest reserve bordering the community.
Residents noted that the distance of the nearest police station delayed a swift response to the incident.
The spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the attack but said the number of abducted persons had yet to be established. He added that the Commissioner of Police and a team of officers had been deployed to the area for assessment and response.
In a related incident, suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked Mussa-Biri Primary and Junior Day Secondary Schools in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting an unspecified number of students during early morning classes.
However, a local source later claimed that the abducted students and a teacher had been released, although four students were still unaccounted for at the time of reporting.
The spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Daso, said poor network coverage made it difficult to obtain full details from the divisional police officer in charge of the area.