Pupils in public and private primary and secondary schools in Ogbomoso and neighbouring communities in Oyo State have abandoned classrooms following last Friday’s attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
Saturday Punch learnt that schools in communities such as Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure and Dananu had recorded low attendance since the incident.
Findings showed that many parents had refused to send their children to school over fears of further attacks.
Despite assurances from the Oyo State Government, teachers and education workers said fear remained widespread among pupils, parents and school personnel.
A teacher at Ikose Primary School, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said attendance had dropped drastically in both public and private schools.
“All the schools, both private and public, in Ogbomoso have been empty since Monday. Pupils stopped attending school after the Esinele attacks,” she said.
The teacher added that tension worsened on Tuesday after students of Areago Grammar School saw some men hunting squirrels in a nearby bush and mistook them for terrorists.
She further stated, “The matter became worse on Tuesday when some students at Areago Grammar School saw some men in the bush around them hunting squirrels.
“The students, because of the Esinele incident, raised the alarm that there were terrorists on the school premises. That led to pandemonium, and everybody started running helter-skelter.”
Pupil, Mother Die After Panic
The teacher said the panic led to the death of a pupil who was knocked down by a vehicle around the Owode area of Ogbomoso.
She added that the boy’s mother also died after hearing the news of his death.
“One of the pupils was knocked down by a vehicle around the Owode area of Ogbomoso, and he died instantly. His mother also died from shock after hearing about the death of her son. Ogbomoso was turned upside down on Tuesday,” she said.
According to the teacher, attendance remained poor throughout the week.
She said only a few pupils attended private schools on Wednesday, while public schools recorded little or no pupil attendance.
She stated, “On Wednesday, only private schools had a few pupils, far below normal attendance. But pupils in public schools did not go at all.
“All the teachers in my school and other areas in Ogbomoso, Esinele, Yamota, Ikose, Ikoyi, Tewure and others had to return home around 12 pm.
“The situation became worse on Thursday; the number of teachers and pupils also dropped across the area. We didn’t see any students, while many teachers also did not show up. We left school before 11 am.”
The source also disclosed that teachers agreed not to go to school on Friday in honour of a former Assistant Headmaster of L.A. Primary School, Joel Adesiyan, who was killed during the attack.