The Nigerian military has attributed the recent kidnapping of students and teachers in Oyo State, southern Nigeria, to fighters from the extremist group Boko Haram.
In an official statement, a military spokesperson confirmed that the assailants belonged to Jama’at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da’awah wa al-Jihad (JAS), the formal name of Boko Haram. The statement explained that the attackers likely shifted their operations southward after facing heavy resistance from intensified military campaigns in the country’s northern regions.
The assaults struck two educational institutions in Yawota and Esiele last Friday, where armed men stormed the campuses and abducted dozens. Reports on the exact number of victims vary: the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported 39 children and seven teachers taken, while Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde cited 25 students and seven instructors as missing. The ages of those abducted range from 2 to 16 years.
Security forces have launched an urgent search operation to locate and rescue the hostages, including both students and educators.
School kidnappings have become a recurring threat in Nigeria’s northern states, but such incidents remain rare in Oyo State, where Ibadan serves as a major educational hub for the country.
In response to the surge in violence, the Nigerian military—with backing from allied forces—has significantly stepped up its counter-insurgency efforts in the north. Military leaders suggest that these intensified operations may have pushed some armed factions to relocate toward the southern regions.
Recent aerial and ground operations in the northeast, Boko Haram’s historical stronghold, reportedly resulted in the elimination of 175 jihadist fighters, according to military authorities. Over the past months, armed groups have escalated attacks on both civilian and security targets, with 306 Nigerian soldiers killed in the first quarter of the year, as documented by independent security analysis.
