For a long time, mass school kidnappings in Nigeria only happened in the northern parts of the country. People believed the south-west was safe from this danger. However, a major attack in Oyo State has completely changed that line of thinking.
It has been exactly one month since gunmen attacked schools in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Today, 49 people are still missing. This group includes 39 schoolchildren, seven teachers, and a two-year-old baby. This is the first time a massive school kidnapping has happened in the south-west, showing that these criminal groups are moving into new areas.
How the Attack Happened
The attack took place on Friday, May 15, 2026, at around 9:30 in the morning. A group of 12 heavily armed men riding on six motorcycles arrived at three different schools at the same time.
The schools were Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Ahoro-Esinele, and L.A. Primary School in Oriire.
People who saw the attack said the gunmen started shooting into the air to scare everyone.
A very important detail from witnesses is that the gunmen spoke three languages: Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English. This shows that the criminals likely come from different parts of the country and are working together.
The gunmen marched the victims into the nearby forest. One of the youngest captured was Christianah Akanbi, a two-year-old girl from the nursery school.
The situation became much worse when the kidnappers killed a mathematics teacher named Michael Oyedokun and posted a video of it online to scare the government. While the police confirmed that three people have died so far, they stated that rumors about a schoolchild being killed are not true.
Where the Victims are Being Kept
The government says that the kidnappers are holding the victims inside the Old Oyo National Park. This park is huge, covering 2,500 square kilometers and spreading across 10 local government areas. Because the forest is so thick and large, it is very difficult for soldiers and police to move around or find the camp.
Right now, 25 people are still actively listed as missing in the latest records. A voice recording was recently sent out from the forest by an unknown female captive. In the recording, she begged for help, saying that there are very small children and pregnant women suffering in the forest under bad weather.
Because the kidnappers are using the children as shields, the Oyo State Government and federal leaders are being very careful. They are using technology and tracking tools to locate them instead of rushing into the forest with guns, which could cause the kidnappers to harm the children.
This attack has made many Nigerians very angry. The Nigeria Union of Teachers and ordinary citizens have held large protests to demand the release of the children. In the national parliament, lawmakers held a minute of silence to honor the teacher who was killed.
International groups are also worried.
The United Nations representative in Nigeria strongly condemned the attack, saying it will make parents afraid to send their children to school. A visiting governor from Bauchi State also spoke out, saying that these security problems are caused by deep poverty and bad governance in the country.
The attack in Oyo State shows that no school in Nigeria is completely safe anymore. On the very same day the schools were attacked in Oyo, another group of gunmen kidnapped 42 children in Borno State in the north.
Because of this new attack in the south-west, schools in Edo State have started closing down early out of fear, and parents in states like Niger are terrified. Records show that since the famous Chibok kidnapping in 2014, between 1,600 and 1,700 students have been stolen from Nigerian schools, and more than 180 have lost their lives.
While education boards are promising to give counseling to the crying families, the real solution depends on whether the government can successfully protect its forests and schools.
