By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, May 18 (Reuters) – Gunmen abducted at least 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state, killing one teacher in captivity and wounding security operatives with explosive devices during a rescue attempt, authorities said on Monday.
The attack took place on Friday in Ahoro Esinele community in Oriire district, targeting multiple schools, including a secondary school and two primary schools, officials said.
Governor Seyi Makinde said one abducted teacher was killed on Sunday, citing a video. Six suspects have been arrested locally, including alleged informants and logistics suppliers to the kidnappers, he said.
A joint rescue operation by soldiers, police, and local “vigilantes” was disrupted after operatives encountered improvised explosive devices planted by the attackers, leaving several wounded, Makinde added. Those injured are receiving treatment, he said.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the killing as “barbaric” and said federal authorities were working with the state to rescue all the victims. Police had deployed tactical and intelligence teams to the area, he said in a statement.
Mass kidnappings by armed groups have become a major security challenge in Nigeria in recent years, with criminal gangs exploiting weak security and porous borders to target travellers, students and rural communities for cash and in-kind payments.
Schools are often targeted, although such attacks are less frequent in the southwest of the country.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
