Following coordinated attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area, the Oyo State Police Command has launched a large-scale manhunt and rescue operation after gunmen kidnapped students and staff.
Ayanlade Olayinka, a deputy superintendent of police and the state’s police public relations officer, said in a statement on Friday that the attacks happened early in the morning.
They further clarified that armed thugs on motorcycles stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, near Alawusa, as well as Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State’s Ogbomoso axis.
Alamu Folawe, the vice principal of Community Grammar School, was one of those kidnapped, according to the police.
According to Mr. Olayinka, preliminary investigations showed that the attackers kidnapped pupils, staff members, and residents during simultaneous assaults on the schools and nearby villages.
However, he pointed out that at the time the statement was released, no student had been proven dead.
Police Verify Casualties
Meanwhile, Police spokesperson verified that an assistant headmaster, Mr. Adesiyan, was killed during the incident. He also said gunmen shot and killed an okada rider after he allegedly resisted their attempt to seize his motorcycle.
The statement claims that the attackers also took the kidnapped vice principal’s Toyota Corolla and set it on fire along a road that led to a neighbouring forest.
According to the statement, security personnel and other service commanders were led by Oyo State Commissioner of Police Abimbola Olugbenga to the impacted villages for an on-the-spot assessment and operational coordination after the incident.
Additionally, Mr. Olayinka, the police have deployed tactical teams, intelligence assets, and other operational resources to the area to restore peace, rescue the kidnapped victims, and arrest the attackers.
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