The Nigerian military has attributed the abduction of dozens of students and teachers in the southern state of Oyo to fighters from the Boko Haram jihadist group. In a statement released on Thursday, a military spokesperson confirmed that the perpetrators belong to the Jama’at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Da’awah wa al-Jihad (JAS), widely recognized as Boko Haram.

According to the spokesperson, the armed assailants were pushed southward after facing heavy resistance from intensified military operations in the country’s northern regions. The attacks, which occurred last Friday, targeted multiple schools in the towns of Yawota and Esiele, where heavily armed men stormed the premises under cover of darkness.

The reported number of victims varies depending on the source. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) claims 39 children and seven teachers were kidnapped, while Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde estimates 25 students and seven instructors were taken. Security forces are currently conducting a large-scale search operation to locate the abducted individuals, including children aged between 2 and 16, along with their teachers.

While kidnappings of schoolchildren have become alarmingly common in northern Nigeria, such incidents remain rare in Oyo State—a region home to Ibadan, one of the country’s most prominent educational hubs. The military’s crackdown on jihadist groups in the north, supported by American forces, appears to have forced some militants to relocate to southern territories.

Recent joint airstrikes in the northeast, a historical stronghold of Boko Haram, reportedly resulted in the deaths of 175 jihadist fighters, according to military authorities. Over the past few months, armed groups have escalated their attacks, targeting both civilians and security personnel. A recent security assessment by SBM Intelligence in Abuja highlights that 306 Nigerian soldiers lost their lives in the first quarter of the year alone.