A mother of one of the pupils kidnapped during the recent attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has shared her painful experience, saying she watched helplessly as armed bandits rounded up her child and other pupils before taking them away.
The woman explained that she had prepared her child for school and was cooking at home when gunmen stormed the community and began shooting. Fearing for her life, she hid, but from her hiding place she witnessed the attackers gathering her child alongside other students.
According to her, the traumatic incident has left her devastated and worried about the safety of her child, who remains in captivity with several other pupils and teachers.
The grieving mother, a widow who supports her family through her trading business, appealed to the government to intensify efforts to rescue the abductees and reunite them with their families.
“I watched them gather my child and other children before taking them away. The government is trying, but I beg them to help bring my child back alive,” she said.
The appeal comes weeks after gunmen attacked schools in the Esiele and Yawota communities of Oriire LGA, abducting dozens of pupils and teachers. Families of the victims have continued to call on both the federal and state governments to secure their release and end the ordeal.
