The Nigerian military has confirmed that scores of students and teachers were abducted in Oyo State, southern Nigeria, by fighters linked to Boko Haram. In an official statement, a military spokesperson identified the attackers as members of Jama’at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da’awah wa al-Jihad, the group widely recognized as Boko Haram.
The armed assailants reportedly shifted their operations southward after facing heavy resistance from intensified counterinsurgency efforts in the country’s northern regions. The brazen attacks unfolded last Friday in the towns of Yawota and Esiele, where heavily armed gunmen stormed multiple school campuses.
Discrepancies remain in the reported casualty figures. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) cited 39 children and seven teachers kidnapped, while Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde reported 25 students and seven educators missing. Security forces are actively scouring the area to locate the victims, who range in age from 2 to 16 years.
While school kidnappings have become alarmingly common in northern Nigeria, such incidents remain rare in Oyo State, where Ibadan serves as a major educational hub for the nation. The military’s recent surge in operations against jihadist factions—conducted alongside international support—has reportedly forced some insurgents to relocate toward southern territories.
Recent joint airstrikes in Nigeria’s northeast, Boko Haram’s historical stronghold, reportedly eliminated 175 jihadist fighters, according to military authorities. Over the past few months, armed groups have escalated attacks on both civilians and security personnel. Data from SBM Intelligence in Abuja indicates that 306 Nigerian soldiers were killed in the first quarter of the year, highlighting the growing toll of insurgent violence.
