WAEC Candidates Relocated To Safer Communities After Oyo T€rror ∆ttack

 

WAEC Candidates Relocated To Safer Communities After Oyo Terror Attack

The relocation followed coordinated attacks on schools in communities including Ahoro-Esiele, Yawota and Oko Ile, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers and residents.

Students taking the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in parts of Oyo State affected by recent terrorist attacks in Oriire Local Government Area have been relocated to safer communities to continue their exams.

Residents of the affected communities told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that candidates from schools attacked by gunmen had been moved to safer towns, while parents now bear additional transport and feeding costs amid growing fear and uncertainty.

The relocation followed coordinated attacks on schools in communities including Ahoro-Esiele, Yawota and Oko Ile, where armed terrorists abducted pupils, teachers and residents.

Community members told SaharaReporters that students from affected public schools were moved to Ikoyi-Ile, while some private school candidates were transferred to Ogbomoso town to continue their examination.

“They transferred them there and we are paying N3,000 for transport per student without any feeding allowance,” one resident said.

“They are not staying there because they always come back home after the exam. They are home now but they still have examinations next week and we don’t know yet if they are going to stop them or not.

“Those students taking WAEC exams have already been taken to Ikoyi-Ile to continue there. Our students from private schools have also been transferred to Ogbomoso town to continue their exams.”

Residents said many parents were forced to agree to a transport arrangement coordinated within the communities to ensure the students could continue their education despite the insecurity.

According to them, buses now convey the students daily to the new examination centres and bring them back after each paper.

“The chairman of the community arranged a bus that took them there,” another resident explained.

Speaking specifically about Ahoro-Esiele community, a resident said, “The students currently doing WAEC exams have been transferred to Ikoyi-Ile to finish their exams after the attack.”

A resident of the Oko Ile community also confirmed the arrangement, adding that parents are required to contribute transport fares for each child.

“The students currently doing WAEC exams are being taken to Ikoyi-Ile to continue their exams but each parent will be paying N3,000 for his child’s transport excluding feeding allowances,” the resident said.

“They will also be brought back because they are not sleeping there. They got them accommodation but some children still come home if their parents wish. Meaning such parents will have to be paying for his child’s transport fare.”

Another woman in the community said the arrangement was collectively agreed upon by affected parents.

She said, “That is what every parent with a child sitting for WAEC agreed upon, that a bus will convey them together and return them after they are done.”

Residents also narrated how the attacks left several families devastated.

“Those abducted are little children. The teacher that was killed in Esiele community school is from Oko Ile community,” one of the residents said.

The residents further revealed that a commercial motorcyclist killed during the attacks had only gone to assist his sister.

“The bike man that was killed in Yawota carried his sister who is selling clothes to the primary school to meet a customer before he met his demise,” a resident said.

Meanwhile, the family of murdered schoolteacher, Michael Oyedokun, who was abducted and later beheaded by terrorists, has described his death as deeply painful, lamenting that he died childless after over 10 years of marriage.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Oyedokun was among teachers abducted during the coordinated attacks on schools in Oriire Local Government Area.

The deceased teacher was kidnapped alongside others from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele, while other schools attacked included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, and LA Primary School in Ogbomoso.

The attacks also claimed the lives of assistant headmaster Joel Adesiyan and a commercial motorcyclist.

Following the attacks, the Oyo State Government ordered the closure of schools in four local government areas as security agencies intensified rescue efforts.

A disturbing video allegedly released by the terrorists later surfaced online, showing Oyedokun tied up and forced to speak before he was killed.

Speaking during SaharaReporters’ visit to the deceased’s hometown, a family representative, Ebeni Adediran, described the slain teacher as a peaceful and dedicated man who spent over two decades teaching.

SaharaReporters observed that Oyedokun’s aged parents were still overwhelmed by grief, wailing uncontrollably over the killing of their son.

“The deceased was a calm person and he did not like violence,” Adediran said.

“He went to primary school, later attended Ogbomoso Baptist High School and furthered his education after secondary school. He was employed as a teacher for about 21 years.

“He first worked at Oke Ogun before he relocated. He was transferred back home just last year. He was very accommodating and since he came back to our community, he always visited his parents at least once within 15 days or every weekend.”

According to him, Oyedokun’s death created a huge vacuum in the family because of his close relationship with relatives.

“He was a good man in our family and this is why his death is a big loss to us, an irreplaceable loss. His death is painful. We can’t even describe his death,” he added.

The family member also disclosed that one of the most heartbreaking aspects of the tragedy was that the slain teacher had no child despite years of marriage.