How Terrorists Planned Oyo School Raid: Senator Reveals Chilling Surveillance Tactics Behind Student Abductions

Senator Abdulfatai Buhari has disclosed disturbing details about the terrorist attack on rural communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, revealing how the assailants allegedly conducted surveillance for days before launching a coordinated assault on schools.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News Prime Time, the senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District said the attackers carefully monitored activities in the affected communities before striking, targeting students, teachers, and even innocent bystanders.

The attack occurred on May 15, 2026, when heavily armed gunmen invaded the communities of Yawota and Esiele in Oriire Local Government Area. Their primary targets were local schools, where they abducted students and teachers before forcing them into the surrounding forest.

The coordinated raids left parents devastated, classrooms deserted, and residents gripped by fear.

On the same day, suspected Boko Haram militants carried out a similar attack in Mussa community, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting 42 schoolchildren and residents in an incident that reignited painful memories of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping.

Providing insight into the Oyo attack, Senator Buhari explained that the terrorists first struck Yawota, abducting nine students before moving to nearby Esiele, located just a few minutes away.

“Look at this school, for example in Esiele and Yawota. They first went to Yawota and picked nine students. From Yawota to Esiele is about five to eight minutes’ drive and then they came back to pick the remaining students and teachers,” he said.

According to the senator, one teacher was shot while attempting to escape through a classroom window.

“One of the teachers was trying to escape through the window; he was shot,” Buhari disclosed.

He further revealed that an innocent commercial motorcycle rider was also shot after the attackers mistakenly believed he was pursuing them.

“Another person, he is not even a teacher. He is just an okada rider. He was dropping somebody from Yawota to Esiele and they thought he was chasing them, so he was shot,” he added.

Buhari noted that many rural schools remain highly vulnerable because of their isolated locations and limited infrastructure.

“In most cases, schools in rural areas consist of just three or four classrooms and are located in very remote communities,” he said, stressing the need for stronger security measures under the Safer Schools Initiative.

The senator also recounted a suspicious development that occurred days before the attack. A local food vendor reportedly experienced an unusual surge in sales as unknown individuals purchased large quantities of beans and bread.

“Normally, her daily profit would be around N1,000 or N1,200. But for two days before the attack, she was making between N10,000 and N20,000,” Buhari explained.

According to him, the woman believed business was simply booming and did not alert community leaders or school authorities.

However, investigators later discovered that the individuals buying the food were allegedly members of the terrorist group conducting reconnaissance ahead of the attack.

“Unfortunately, it turned out those people were carrying out surveillance. When they eventually struck, everyone realised why they had been spending so much money in the area. Information is very vital,” he said.

The attacks in Oyo and Borno have sparked nationwide outrage, with parents, teachers, and civil society groups demanding urgent action to secure schools and end the growing wave of violence threatening education across Nigeria.

As security agencies continue efforts to rescue the victims, calls for intelligence gathering, community vigilance, and improved rural security have intensified.