UMVA has learned that a horrific wave of violence has struck southwestern Nigeria, leaving a trail of terror and despair in its wake. A coordinated attack on multiple schools in the Ahoro-Esinele community of Oriire Local Government Area, Oyo State, on the night of May 16, 2026, resulted in the abduction of 46 people, including seven teachers and 39 students.
The brutal assault began around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, with armed gunmen storming Community High School in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School in the nearby Yawota community. The attackers, identified locally as members of a militant group, showed no mercy, abducting children as young as two years old and taking them into a forest reserve.
One of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, a mathematics instructor at Community High School, was tragically killed in captivity. A video released on Sunday, May 17, showed him being beheaded, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation. Oyo State Governor Seyi strongly condemned the killing on Monday.
The school's principal, Mrs. Rachael Folawe Alamu, was among those taken, and from captivity, she recorded a heart-wrenching video message that spread widely on Nigerian social media. She pleaded for help from everyone, appealing to the federal government, the Oyo State government, and "all well-meaning Nigerians" to intervene peacefully.
The attackers' use of civilians as human shields to slow military operations has been exposed, with a reporter describing how they take civilians and use them as shields to prevent security forces from advancing. The groups also threaten to kill captives if security forces get too close, using a tactic reinforced through "media sleeper cells" that spread graphic footage to generate fear.
A joint rescue operation involving Nigerian soldiers, police, and local vigilantes was disrupted after operatives encountered improvised explosive devices planted by the attackers, wounding several personnel. Six suspects have been arrested, including alleged informants and individuals accused of supplying logistics to the kidnappers.
The Oyo State attack is geographically significant, as mass school abductions have historically been concentrated in northern Nigeria, and incidents of this scale are rare in the southwest. A separate, contemporaneous attack in Borno State saw suspected ISWAP fighters abduct approximately 42 children in Mussa village, Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
The family of Michael Oyedokun has asked Nigerians to stop circulating graphic videos of his death, saying the repeated reposting is traumatizing his children, who are currently sitting their exams, as well as elderly relatives and other family members. They asked that only official family photographs be used, or that graphic footage be blurred if shared.
