Security Forces Corner Oyo School Kidnappers inside National Park

​IBADAN — Coordinated security operatives have surrounded and trapped the armed terrorists responsible for the deadly assault on three schools in the Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

​The gunmen, who killed an assistant headmaster and an okada rider before abducting a school principal, teachers, and an unspecified number of students, are currently pinned down within the dense terrains of the Old Oyo National Park.

​The breakthrough comes as the state government intensifies pressure to rescue the hostages and prevent the criminal network from advancing deeper into the South-West region.

​Escape Routes Sealed

​The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, confirmed the development in an official statement released on Saturday in Ibadan. He disclosed that a joint security formation had successfully established a tight perimeter around the national park axis, effectively blocking all exit channels into neighboring Kwara and Niger states.

​”The kidnappers have been effectively confined within the National Park axis following coordinated security operations aimed at preventing their movement into neighbouring states,” Oyelade stated. “Security operatives have successfully surrounded the area, restricting the suspects’ movement and preventing possible escape into Kwara State or other neighbouring locations.”

​The massive containment operation involves a combined force of the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Civil Defence Agro Rangers, and the Oyo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as the Amotekun Corps. Local hunters from communities across the Oke-Ogun axis have also been mobilized to leverage their layout knowledge of the vast forest reserves.

​A Coordinated Assault on Education

​The crisis began early Friday morning when more than 30 heavily armed terrorists, disguised in military uniforms and riding on eight motorcycles, launched a simultaneous attack on three academic institutions in the Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities. The targeted facilities include:

• ​L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinle
• ​Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinle
• ​Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota

​Eyewitnesses reported that the bandits stormed the schools around 9:00 a.m., just as normal school activities were resuming, shooting sporadically and throwing the communities into total chaos.

​During the onslaught, the Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Mr. Joel Adesiyan, was shot dead while attempting to escape through a window. A commercial motorcyclist who inadvertently rode into the crossfire was also killed.

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​The terrorists subsequently rounded up the principal of Community Grammar School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, alongside five teachers and dozens of terrified pupils before fleeing into the adjoining forest corridor.

​School Records Hamper Audit

​The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB), led by Dr. Nureni Aderemi Adeniran, has described the incident as a “dark and painful moment” for the state.

​In a proactive move to forestall secondary incidents and allow tactical teams to stabilize the region, OYOSUBEB ordered the immediate closure and evacuation of all public primary schools across four neighboring local government areas: Orire, Surulere, Oyo East, and Olorunsogo.

​A major hurdle facing the rescue operation remains the lack of clear data regarding the exact number of hostages taken by the gunmen. Commissioner Oyelade admitted that difficulties in obtaining accurate, up-to-date school records have slowed down the verification process.

​”This has made the rescue operation more difficult. What we are trying to do now is locate their position and apply pressure,” Oyelade added, noting that security forces have not yet established direct contact or negotiations with the abductors.

​Government Vows Decisive Action

​The Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Abimbola, has relocated to the axis alongside the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, while maintaining active intelligence synchronization with the Kwara State Police Command.

​Meanwhile, the Oyo Global Forum has warned that the encroachment of bandits into the Old Oyo National Park—months after a similar raid left five forest guards dead—presents a wider national security threat that requires sustained military intervention.

​Reassuring distressed parents, the state government highlighted its recent investments in rural security architecture, noting that the Amotekun Corps alone has deployed over 2,500 personnel, backed by 181 utility vehicles and 450 motorcycles, to sustain the pressure. Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration has reiterated that it will not relent until every single child and educator is safely reunited with their families.