Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
MORE than 50 children have been abducted and a teacher killed in two separate school attacks on Friday, authorities have confirmed.
In the first incident, gunmen stormed Mussa Central Primary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, southern Borno State, kidnapping more than 30 pupils. Most victims are nursery children aged between two and five years old.
A second assault in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, southwest Nigeria, left one teacher dead and a school principal abducted alongside an unspecified number of students.
Borno Attack
Parents of the abducted children told the BBC on Saturday that their young ones were already seated in classrooms when the attack began.
One father said his six-year-old daughter was among those taken, adding that his wife had been left heartbroken and in constant tears since news of the incident broke.
“I heard gunfire before armed men stormed the school and began rounding up the children,” a teacher said. “After a head count, 34 children – mostly nursery pupils from my school – were kidnapped. These are very young children who could not possibly escape.”
Police spokesperson Nahum Daso confirmed that armed men attacked both a primary and secondary school in Mussa village at approximately 9am local time.
Authorities suspect the gunmen are fighters from either Boko Haram or their rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), both of which are active in the region.
Residents said the suspected militants arrived on motorcycles shortly after army patrols had left the town.
Witnesses described gunmen firing indiscriminately, forcing residents to flee for cover.
Many parents watched helplessly from a nearby hill as their children were loaded onto motorcycles and carried away. Some older students managed to escape into surrounding bushes during the chaos.
Local resident Bukar Buba, whose daughter was among those taken, disputed police accounts. “Immediately after the patrol left, no more than 30 minutes later, the attackers came to our community. They took nearly 43 pupils, most between the ages of three and six,” he said.
Security forces pursuing the attackers were unable to open fire because the gunmen used the children as human shields.
The largely farming community, already struggling economically, has appealed urgently to the government to secure the safe return of the children.
Oyo State Attack
In a separate incident on the same day, gunmen attacked LA School and Community Grammar School in Ahoro-Esinele, Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
Police spokesperson DSP Ayanlade Olayinka confirmed the attackers arrived between 8am and 9am, killing one teacher and abducting the school principal alongside an unspecified number of students.
Schools Closed
The Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (Oyosubeb) has directed all primary schools in neighbouring communities – including Surulere, Oyo East, Oriire, and Olorunsogo – to vacate immediately until further notice.
“This is a dark and painful moment for our education family in Oyo State,” the board said in a statement. “Our hearts are with the affected parents, teachers, and the entire community.”
A tactical response team has been deployed, and security agencies continue to comb the affected areas to establish full details of the incident.
“We mourn with the families of the teacher whose life was tragically cut short. His service, dedication, and sacrifice will not be forgotten,” the statement added.
The precise number of pupils abducted in the Oyo attack remains unclear as security operations continue.
