How Oyo classrooms look days after school abduction (photos)

Days after a deadly coordinated attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area, classrooms remain eerily empty, with abandoned school bags, lunch boxes, and scattered notebooks serving as haunting reminders of the violence.

On May 15, 2026, armed men stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School in Esin Ele, abducting 46 pupils and teachers, including a two-year-old girl, Christianah Akanbi, one of the youngest victims of school kidnappings in recent years.

Photos captured in the aftermath show desks left untouched, unfinished lessons and notes strewn across classrooms, and deserted communities where residents fled in fear for their safety.

Four motorcycles were reportedly stolen during the raid, compounding the terror in affected communities.

Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that seven teachers were abducted, with at least one killed by the attackers. Security agencies have arrested six suspects within the communities, while three more persons of interest were apprehended by other security outfits.

The governor warned that mounting military pressure against terrorists in the North-West and North-East could be driving armed groups further south, underscoring the widening reach of terrorism into previously safe regions.

Local informants are suspected to have assisted the attackers, according to security operatives.

Human rights groups have also expressed alarm, noting that more than 80 children were abducted in separate attacks across Nigeria within one week, reflecting the escalating national school security crisis.

The Oyo attack has rekindled painful memories of mass kidnappings such as Chibok, Kagara, and Papiri, events that shocked the nation and drew international condemnation.

See photos below: