By Our Correspondent

National News – Fear and grief have swept through communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State after suspected terrorists abducted more than 45 pupils and several teachers during coordinated attacks on three schools on Friday morning.

The attackers stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A.

Primary School around 8am, shooting sporadically before whisking victims away on motorcycles and through nearby forest routes.

Witnesses said the gunmen, dressed in camouflage and speaking Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English, invaded the schools within minutes, causing panic among pupils, teachers, and residents.

A teacher, Elizabeth Olagoke, said the terrorists arrived on six motorcycles and operated for about seven minutes before escaping into the forest reserve near the Old Oyo National Park axis.

Residents also reported that motorcycles were stolen while a motorcyclist was killed during the attack.

Distraught parents and mothers described the incident as heartbreaking, saying many children disappeared after the gunfire forced communities into chaos.

Some pupils reportedly escaped through windows and nearby bushes, while younger children were seized and taken away.

Parents from Yawota, Esiele, Alausa, and surrounding villages pleaded with the government and security agencies to rescue the abducted children safely.

Traditional rulers and community leaders confirmed the abduction figures, while security sources disclosed that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack.

The Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, Amotekun operatives, hunters, and other security agencies have since launched rescue operations and sealed possible escape routes around the forest corridors linking Oyo and Kwara states.

Reacting to the incident, Gani Adams warned that terrorists were gradually infiltrating South-West states, calling for stronger collaboration between governors and local security outfits.

Meanwhile, governors across the region, including Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun states, have intensified border surveillance and security patrols to prevent further attacks.