At least 16 students were killed and dozens injured after a fire tore through the dormitory of a girls’ boarding school in Kenya’s Rift Valley early Thursday. Panicked parents gathered outside the school searching for their children hours after the blaze was extinguished.
At least 16 students were killed and scores were injured in the early hours of Thursday after fire ripped through a boarding school dorm in Kenya’s Rift Valley region. File photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
May 28 (UPI) — At least 16 students were killed and 74 were injured after fire tore through a girls’ boarding school in Kenya in the early hours of Thursday.
The blaze broke out as students were sleeping, engulfing the dorm block at the school in Gilgil, 77 miles northwest of the capital Nairobi, police and the Kenya Red Cross said.
A rescue and recovery operation was still underway amid efforts to account for all the students who were in the accommodation building — thought to be about 220.
“It is a sad and distressing situation. As we speak, our officers are combing the area because some students fled in shock and fear during the night,” said police commander Masoud Mwinyi.
Mwinyi said the police department had launched an investigation and that criminal investigators and forensics officers had been dispatched to the scene.
A parent told Kenya’s NTV News that most of the students in the hospital had been injured as they tried to escape by jumping from the upper level of the dorm block because one of the doors was closed.
President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto extended their condolences to the victims’ families and friends, as well as teachers and staff at the school.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the families who have lost their beloved daughters in the tragic fire at Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil. No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives filled with promise, hope, and dreams for the future. As a nation, we mourn with the parents, guardians, teachers and fellow students who are enduring this unimaginable tragedy,” Ruto wrote on X.
Education Secretary Julius Ogamba ordered the immediate closure of the school but urged the public and media to refrain from speculating on the cause of the fire until the investigation was complete.
Ogamba said the Education Ministry was in the midst of a health and safety code audit of schools that had already seen the shuttering of almost 350 boarding schools that did not meet government standards.
The crackdown was launched 18 months ago in the wake of the deaths of 21 people in a blaze in a dorm of the Hillside Endarasha Academy, a boarding school in Nyeri, 100 miles north of Nairobi, in September 2024.
The country’s boarding schools have a poor safety record with a series of deadly blazes blamed on overcrowding and breaches of basic safety measures such as keeping exits clear and windows and exits unlocked.
Some have been deliberately set, with the finger pointed at students disaffected by tough discipline regimes and living conditions.
Responding to a parliamentary committee’s request in 2021 for school arson data, the Ministry of Education reported 126 arson attacks in the first 11 months of 2020 alone.
Wreathes are seen amongst the statues at the Korean War Veterans Memorial during Memorial Day weekend in Washington on May 27, 2023. Memorial Day, which honors U.S. military personnel who died while in service, is held on the last Monday of May. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS THURSDAY’S RESULTS Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION #4 San Pedro 13, #5 El Camino Real 2 #3 Birmingham 6, #6 Wilmington Banning 5 #2 Carson at #7 Legacy
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE (Games at 3 p.m. unless noted) Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION #8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
DIVISION I #9 San Fernando at #1 Venice #5 Chavez at #4 Chatsworth #6 Eagle Rock at #3 Port of LA #10 Verdugo Hills at #2 Marquez
DIVISION II #9 Northridge Academy at #1 LA Marshall #20 Cleveland at #5 Sylmar #19 North Hollywood at #6 Arleta #18 Taft at #10 Sun Valley Poly
DIVISION III #16 Van Nuys at #9 Palisades #5 South East at #4 Maywood Academy #14 VAAS at #11 Westchester #15 Reseda at #7 LACES
DIVISION IV #16 Vaughn at #9 Smidt Tech #12 Downtown Magnets at #4 Huntington Park #14 Franklin at #11 Bernstein #18 Diego Rivera at #7 CALS Early College
Note: Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
A POPULAR “time warp” attraction has reopened this week following months of closure.
A multi-million pound grant has helped resurrect the model Victorian town in time for the half term.
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The 1900s style town has reopened following months of closureCredit: Alamy Stock PhotoThe Shropshire attraction features a shoe smith and candle factoryCredit: Alamy
Blists Hill, a living Victorian Museum in Shropshire, finally reopened yesterday (May 21), allowing visitors to step back in time once more.
The 1900s style attraction closed in February this year after the National Trust took over the property from the previous owners, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
The open-air museum features staff working in 18th and 19th century clothing, with a candle factory, butcher’s shop, school and a shoesmith for visitors to explore.
There is even a bank trading in shillings and pence, which visitors can use to spend at the confectionery store.
DIVISION 1 La Habra 11, Orange Lutheran 8 Etiwanda at La Mirada, Thursday JSerra 1, Garden Grove Pacifica 0 Norco 8, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0
DIVISION 2 Whittier Christian 13, Bonita 1 St. Paul 8, Lakewood St. Joseph 7 San Clemente 9, Huntington Beach 7 Mater Dei 11, Vista Murrieta 8
DIVISION 3 Great Oak 10, Edison 5 North Torrance 4, San Juan Hills 3 Riverside Prep 7, La Serna 2 Dos Pueblos 7, Villa Park 6
DIVISION 4 Oxnard 5, St. Bonaventure 4 Monrovia 4, Mira Costa 0 Mission Viejo 14, Oak Hills 6 Burbank Burroughs 7, Ramona 2
DIVISION 5 Patriot 10, Santa Clara 3 Grace 6, Shadow Hills 5 Covina 8, Irvine University 1 Northwood 5, Santa Monica 4
DIVISION 6 Irvine 18, Heritage 7 Granite Hills 15, St. Genevieve 4 Sierra Vista at Hesperia Christian, Thursday Arroyo 8, San Jacinto 3
DIVISION 7 Ramona Convent 10, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 7 Faith Baptist 10, Riverside Notre Dame 8 Cathedral City 2, Victor Valley 0 Edgewood 8, Culver City 6
DIVISION 8 San Bernardino 13, Avalon 0 Workman 19, Cobalt 6 Capistrano Valley Christian 13, Bell Gardens 6 Arroyo Valley vs. Banning, Thursday
Note: Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.
AUGUST flights don’t come cheap, but there are some serious savings to be found this summer as airlines slash prices to entice Brits who’ve been nervous about booking because of the Iran war.
Sun Travel has worked with Skyscanner to find some of the cheapest flights that are actually during the school holidays – with some as little as £23 each way.
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You can visit beautiful Burano if you take a flight to Venice this August from £23 each wayCredit: AlamyNice is surrounded by beautiful seaside towns like Villefranche Sur MerCredit: Alamy
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
Working with Skyscanner, Sun Travel has crunched the numbers and discovered where Brits can find the cheapest flights that are actually in the school summer holidays.
Some destinations have dropped prices significantly since last summer including favourites like Venice and Nice.
Starting with Venice, an economy return flight starts from £46pp in August this year – which is down by 14 per cent from August 2025.
Famous for its waterways, the beautiful city is one of the most visited in Italy.
And if you travel out of the city, there are charming Italian seaside villages peppered along the Adriatic coast.
Don’t forget to stop by Burano an island in the Venetian Lagoon with pretty rainbow-coloured fisherman’s houses.
A little closer to home, return flights to the French city of Nice start from £48pp – which is a decrease of 19 per cent.
The city is perfect for Brits as it can be reached in as little as two hours and August has highs of 27C so it’s perfect for basking on its pretty beaches.
From Nice, it’s an easy train ride along the Cote D’Azur to some of France’s most beautiful seaside towns like Cannes, Villefranche Sur Mer and Antibes.
Escape central Berlin to Lake Wannsee for boat trips and swimmingCredit: Alamy
Return flights to the German city of Berlin start from £49pp this summer which is 10 per cent less than last year.
The city has plenty of history as well as vibrant murals and nightlife.
And while it isn’t very close to the seaside, Germany and neighbouring Switzerland which is easily reached by train, have stunning countryside and lakeside retreats that are the perfect temperature in mid-summer.
Although, just an hour’s drive from the city centre is Großer Wannsee – it’s a large lake and is actually considered one of ‘Europe’s largest inland lidos’.
It’s a popular summer swim spot and place for a summer daytrip.
When it comes to the flights with the biggest drop in prices return flights to Cape Town in South Africa are down 20 per cent with an average price from£689pp.
Holidays to Cape Town, Venice and Berlin are down from August last yearCredit: Getty
Top 10 biggest price drop destinations for return flights in August 2026…
Skyscanner has found the biggest price drop destinations for return flights in August 2026 compared to last year…
Cape Town – from£689pp (-20 per cent)
Las Vegas – from £585pp (-19 per cent)
Nice – from £48pp (-19 per cent)
Bordeaux – from £68pp (-18 per cent)
Florence – from £99pp (-17 per cent)
Geneva – from £74pp (-15 per cent)
Venice – from £46pp (-14 per cent)
Tirana – from £89pp (-12 per cent)
Osaka – from £748pp (-10 per cent)
Berlin – from £49pp (- 10 per cent)
Prices correct as of May 20 2026 and are subject to change
It’s not the warmest time of year to visit Cape Town, but in August visitors can enjoy whale-watching and views of Table Mountain.
It’s also one of the cheapest bucket list destinations, with everything from safari to vineyards and stunning seaside towns all easily reached from the South African capital.
Another destination that Skyscanner recommends as being cheap with affordable flights is Dortmund in Germany – with an average flight of £72.
The German city is famous for its football culture and highlights its huge Signal Iduna Park and the exhibits at the German Football Museum.
Thanks to its location, both Munster and Dusseldorf are around an hour in each direction by car for those who fancy other city daytrips.
Meanwhile, in the Calabria region in southern Italy, you’ll find the port city of Crotone– where return flights start as little as£62pp.
Crotone in Southern Ialy is famous for its floating fortress can be reached for as little as £31ppCredit: Alamy
It once a Greek colony that was the home of Pythagoras.
Visitors should head to Crotone’s harbour which is central to the city and a lively spot for local seafood markets and restaurants.
The Old Town is the spot for nightlife too, with plenty of bars and a pint can be picked up for only €3 (£2.59).
It’s known for its floating fortress off Capo Rizzuto.
Here are some of Skyscanner’s top tip and tricks for getting the best flight prices…
Laura Lindsay, Skyscanner Travel Expert said…
Book early “The most straightforward way is to book early. More available seats on any route means the balance of supply and demand is in your favour.”
Shop around Another way to get a good fare is by shopping around. This is particularly useful when you are trying to get a flight during a busier time like the school holidays.
Airline combination Combining two different airlines or two departure or destination airports could also mean a big saving.
Alternative destinations Considering alternative destinations is also a great way to grab a good deal and discover somewhere new into the bargain. If you’re even more flexible and can travel at different times, then you’re likely to see an even better saving.
Skyscanner savvy Skyscanner’s ‘everywhere’ search and ‘month view’ are all easy ways to do compare and contrast fares at a glance.
Go for the basics Any route which is well served and established is usually good value. For example, any route from the UK to Spain where many airlines compete for customers usually stays lower for longer as they keep prices low to encourage bookings.
Check live prices Checking live prices and staying flexible on where and when you travel can go a long way when it comes to finding better value. More importantly, travellers should stay informed and check the latest travel advice before booking.
DIVISION II #16 Triumph Charter 16, #17 Middle College 6 #20 Cleveland 20, #13 Dorsey 2 #10 North Hollywood 12, #14 USC-MAE 0 #18 Taft 13, #15 Central City Value 0
DIVISION III #16 Van Nuys 19, #17 Alliance Bloomfield 2 #20 East Valley 14, #13 Community Charter 3 #14 VAAS 18, #19 Angelou 0 #15 Reseda 24, #18 Stella 0
DIVISION IV #16 Vaughn 44, #17 West Adams 33 #20 Hawkins 28, #13 LAAAE 7 #14 Franklin 19, #19 Mendez 7 #18 Diego Rivera 24, #15 Discovery 8
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (Games at 3 p.m. unless noted) First Round
DIVISION I #16 Sherman Oaks CES at #1 Venice #9 San Fernando at #8 Bravo #12 Lincoln at #5 Chavez #13 Animo Venice at #4 Chatsworth #14 LA University at #3 Port of LA #11 Harbor Teacher at #6 Eagle Rock #10 Verdugo Hills at #7 Garfield #15 LA Hamilton at #2 Marquez
Second Round
DIVISION II #16 Triumph Charter at #1 LA Marshall #9 Northridge Academy at #8 Rancho Dominguez #12 Fremont at #5 Symar #20 Cleveland at #4 Narbonne #19 North Hollywood at #3 Roosevelt #11 Orthopaedic at #5 Arleta #10 Sun Valley Poly at #7 South Gate #18 Taft at #2 LA Wilson
DIVISION III #16 Van Nuys at #1 Bell #9 Palisades at #8 Hollywood #12 Lakeview Charter at #5 South East #20 East Valley at #4 Maywood Academy #14 VAAS at #3 Maywood CES #11 Westchester at #6 Torres #10 Animo Robinson at #7 LACES #15 Reseda at #2 Sun Valley Magnet
DIVISION IV #16 Vaughn at #1 Jefferson #9 Smidt Tech at #8 Alliance Levine #12 Downtown Magnets at #5 University Prep Value #20 Hawkins at #4 Huntington Park #14 Franklin at #3 Santee #11 Bernstein at #6 Camino Nuevo #10 Rise Kohyang at #7 CALS Early College #18 Diego Rivera at #2 LA Jordan
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (Games at 3 p.m. unless noted) Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION #8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills #5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro #6 Wilmington Banning at #3 Birmingham #7 Legacy at #2 Carson
Note: Division I-IV quarterfinals May 22 at higher seeds;Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where USC and Notre Dame are back at the bargaining table — as you first read in this space last Monday — and also back to bickering about who’s to blame for blowing up their century-old rivalry in the first place. One step closer to order being restored!
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I have less faith in the rest of college football and its leadership, which now appears to be mobilizing around a playoff format that’s almost universally disliked by actual consumers of college football. The 24-team playoff is a great deal for coaches, who want to be able to point to as many playoff berths as possible for job security. It’s probably a good deal for athletic directors, digging through couch cushions for extra NIL dollars. And for the TV networks, it’s especially juicy. Twenty four teams means more than double the number of games, and each of those games is pulling in an average of between 10 million and 20 million viewers. That’s a lot of eyeballs and a lot of advertising dollars. (For everyone but ESPN, which currently has exclusive rights up to 14 teams.)
It’s also a good deal for Notre Dame, whose athletic director Pete Bevacqua came out this week in support of the 24-team playoff in an interview with the Athletic. The Irish would essentially assure themselves of a bid in most years, which, per Bevacqua, would make it easier to clear the way for USC and Notre Dame to play again.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti has been leading the charge on the 24-team playoff. So while USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen hasn’t said anything about her preference, it would be a surprise to hear her publicly oppose what the rest of the conference has been pushing.
But why do we have to push anywhere? Why do we have to keep fixing the playoff? And if you must keep tinkering with college football, well, there are plenty of ways to fix it that won’t water down the product and devalue the regular season the way playoff expansion does. Plus, who’s to say that after two seasons at 24 teams, the conference commissioners don’t decide they want to expand again? To 28 teams? To 36 teams?
The 12-team playoff already makes a lot of money. But like everything now, it has to make the mostpossible money or be as big as possible. I actually long for the days when college football’s leaders did whatever they could to keep the game from changing.
Now it’s the only thing that feels inevitable these days around college football.
Back to school
Marqise Lee at his graduation ceremony.
(USC)
Marqise Lee stepped to the lectern Friday, in full cap and gown, looked out over a full crowd at Galen Center, and cleared his throat. For so many reasons, the former USC wideout still couldn’t quite believe he was standing there.
Growing up, no part of Lee thought that college would even be available to him. He was brought up in the most difficult of circumstances in Inglewood. Separated at a young age from his sister and his mother, who was deaf. Thrust alone into the foster care system. He ended up living in a motel for three years.
When he did make it to USC, class hadn’t been a priority. Football was his focus from the start, and it would ultimately lead him to the NFL, where he’d never really taken the idea of returning to school that seriously. A counselor would try to convince him on a few occasions and even got him onto campus to set up a schedule.
“But it just never happened,” Lee told me.
Then, his football career ended, and his daughters started getting older. They never got to see him play football. He started thinking about what it would mean to show them what he could accomplish. So Lee decided to go back.
It wasn’t easy at first. He was taking five classes, a full course load. He felt uncomfortable being the oldest student in the class.
“When I first sat in there,” he said, ”I was like, I really don’t need to come back.”
His statistics class, especially, was daunting. He looked for any reason to leave. Then, he thought of his daughters.
“To go back to school and tell my daughters, yeah, I went back, but I wasn’t successful — and expect them to succeed?” Lee said. “Yeah, I can’t.”
But before long, Lee found that he actually liked his classes now. He enjoyed the group projects where he used to only do the bare minimum.
After sloughing off his final semester the first time around at USC, Lee needed at least three B’s and two A’s. No easy feat at USC.
Lee ended up getting A’s across the board. At the end of the semester, the school asked him to be the speaker at its student athlete commencement. Which is what led Lee to that stage, where he delivered a hell of a speech Friday.
“It was just like, this is something that you never ever dreamed about,” Lee said. “You never dreamed about graduating from college. So like to get that done was amazing. And then, I have an opportunity to sit up here and say to these kids and get them prepared for their future, by at least letting them understand where I come from and how hard it is. So they know that we actually can fight through anything that comes our way.”
Next up for Lee?
“I’m about to try and go get my master’s degree after this,” he said.
Cofie’s plans changing?
Jacob Cofie reacts after a layup and a foul during a win over Washington State last season.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
A month ago, USC basketball announced that Jacob Cofie, one of its starters from last season, planned to return next season. It was a huge coup for Eric Musselman, who had a grand total of two returning players in two seasons as USC’s coach.
Cofie decided to still take part in the G League scouting combine. But in the process, he became one of five players who earned invites to the NBA scouting combine last weekend.
While in Chicago, Cofie was asked if he’d considered keeping his name in the draft. And he didn’t say no. “I’m leaving that up to my agent right now,” he said.
But even with the combine invite, I don’t expect that Cofie could climb any higher than the second round of this NBA draft. And depending on where he would be drafted, if he’s drafted at all, he might actually stand to make more at USC in revenue sharing dollars and NIL.
Cofie has nine days, technically, to make a decision. But I expect we’ll hear sooner than that on his future, and I’d be shocked to hear he’ll be spending next season anywhere but USC.
—USC baseball locked up the fourth seed in the Big Ten tournament. But what about hosting a regional? The Trojans managed to take one of three against Oregon to at least lock up a bye until Friday in the Big Ten tournament. But right now, USC is likely on the outside looking in at hosting its first NCAA regional since 2002. All that could change with a run in the Big Ten tournament. Doing so, though, probably means pulling off an upset of No. 1 UCLA. If USC wins its first tournament matchup against whomever emerges out of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue, then the Bruins will almost certainly be on tap. Win that game, and their hosting fate could change fast.
—Pete Carroll is coming back to teach “The Game of Life” at USC. The former USC coach delivered the commencement address for the Marshall School of Business last Friday, and in the process, announced that he’ll be making his triumphant return as Professor Pete next school year. A spot in Carroll’s class was one of the most coveted on campus in his first go-round — good luck getting off that waitlist the second time!
—Honor Fa’alave Johnson, USC’s top commit in 2027, reaffirmed his plans to sign with USC. That was after a group of USC coaches flew down to the safety’s hometown of San Diego via helicopter. Not a bad way to show you mean business — especially as Texas was doing its best to flip Fa’alave Johnson.
—Some Big Ten championship results from the weekend: The USC men finished fourth in the Big Ten track and field championships, while the USC women finished third. Meanwhile, women’s rowing placed sixth at their Big Ten championships.
What I’m Reading This Week
Patrick Radden Keefe writes for the New Yorker.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
It’s a quiet time for new TV, so I took the radical step of picking up a new book this week. (Crazy, I know.) That said, I’m always game for reading something new from New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe, who, for my money, is one of our greatest living nonfiction writers. His latest book, “London Falling” follows an American family investigating the death of their 19-year-old son, who they find was living a secret life within London’s criminal underworld mysteriously before he jumped mysteriously from a building into the Thames River in 2019.
Keefe is a tremendous reporter and writer, capable of turning a nonfiction narrative into a roller coaster, page-turning story that reads like a crime novel. This book, like “Say Nothing” and “Empire of Pain” before it, is one I won’t forget any time soon.
Scheduling note
I said I’d be off this week, however the Lee graduation was so nice that waiting to report on it seemed wrong. But the newsletter will be on hiatus the next two weeks.
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Before sunrise, Kellu Habila had risen from her mat in Mussa, northeastern Nigeria, and stepped into the kitchen, moving carefully in the dim light while the rest of the house slept. Outside, the dry-season dust had disappeared, replaced by the heavy stillness that precedes the rains in southern Borno. She prepared breakfast, then woke her four children one after the other: three boys and the youngest, a girl named Rifkatu.
It was early in the third term of the 2025/2026 academic session.
Unlike her brothers, who had resumed nearly a month earlier, Rifkatu was returning to school that morning for the first time because her old uniform was too worn to use. It was only the previous day that her parents had managed to buy another one.
“She was very happy,” Kellu recalled.
Four-year-old Rifkatu Habila and her friend, Alheri Olu, were both in Nursery One at Central Primary School, Mussa, a remote farming community in Lassa town, Askira Uba Local Government Area, Borno State. “The two girls were inseparable,” Kellu said. They played together, walked together, and often sat beside each other in class.
After the children left for school that Friday morning on May 15, Kellu headed to her farm on the outskirts of town. The farming season had begun, and like many residents of Mussa, she was trying to make use of the early morning before the sun hit hard.
Then the gunshots started.
“I hid inside a nearby stream when I heard them,” she told HumAngle. “It was a few minutes past 8 a.m.”
For a while, she remained there, crouched and listening. When the shooting eased, she ran back home.
By then, panic had already spread across Mussa. Parents were rushing toward the school. Some shouted their children’s names, while others disappeared into nearby bushes, searching for them. The gunshots, residents realised, had come from Central Primary School.
“We were told the children had been taken,” Kellu said. “So we started searching.”
She found her three sons hiding inside a nearby bush. But Rifkatu was nowhere to be found. Her voice broke when she spoke about what happened next.
“We kept searching. Later, her father and some men found children’s footwear outside town where the attackers had passed. He recognised hers.”
That was how they knew. Rifkatu and Alheri had been abducted together. That day, Friday, May 15, terrorists attacked Central Primary School, Mussa, abducting dozens of pupils. The exact number remains unclear. “Community leaders told us 43 children were taken,” Kellu recounted. But she believes the number may be higher. An official register recorded 40 confirmed names.
A pattern of attacks
Residents say the terrorists entered Mussa on motorcycles.
“Farmers running from the direction they came from said they also saw two Hilux vehicles parked outside town,” Emmanuel Hyarawa, Rifkatu’s uncle, said. “That was what they used to take the children away.”
No group has claimed responsibility, and no ransom demand had been made at the time this report was filed. But residents say the terrorists may be fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a group that has repeatedly attacked communities along the southern Borno axis in recent years.
“They are the same people who attack soldiers here and abduct farmers,” Kellu said. “We recognised the way they dressed and moved.”
This was the fourth attack on Mussa within two months, according to residents.
“Occasionally, they would attack the town, often focusing on the military. They would burn buildings, loot shops, and cart away military vehicles and equipment,” Emmanuel said. “They had come in early April and attacked the military. They killed four soldiers and a civilian.” A week before the Friday abduction, “They had attacked, looted shops, and carted away six cattle,” Kellu added. In November 2025, Nigerian troops rescued 12 teenage girls abducted while working on farmlands in the area.
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But no school had been attacked before. “This is the first time,” Emmanuel said.
The gunshots from Friday’s attack were heard as far away as Lassa, a town nearly 20 kilometres from Mussa. “We heard them around 8:30 that morning,” Andrew Adamu, a resident of Lassa, said.
The two communities are separated only by a smaller village called Kelle. According to Kellu, the attackers arrived through the Damboa axis on nearly 40 motorcycles, each carrying at least two armed men.
There is a military presence in Mussa, but residents say the soldiers are few.
“They are not up to 30,” Emmanuel said. “And usually, they are outnumbered.” “When the terrorists entered, they used the pupils as shields. So, the military could not engage them,” he added.
Kellu said part of the school itself now serves as a military armoury. “The soldiers stay there during the day,” she said. “They have been using part of the school for years.”
Residents believe the timing of the attack was deliberate.
After the April assault that killed soldiers, reinforcements had arrived from Askira, the LGA headquarters, and remained in the community for more than two weeks. But on Friday morning, according to Emmanuel, the troops had only recently withdrawn.
“It was less than an hour after they left that the terrorists came,” he said.
When the shots were heard in Lassa, residents said security forces left the town immediately. “I didn’t see them leaving myself, but I saw their return in the evening,” Andrew said. “Often, when something like this occurs, reinforcement is sent from here, Lassa, or Dille, another village not far away, Askira, the local government headquarters, or Uba, another major town,” Andrew added.
However, as of the time this report was compiled, residents of Mussa said no reinforcements had returned to the community.
A police constable based in Askira, who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak, said, “Although Mussa is a Borno community, it is not under our coverage because of proximity. They are closer to Adamawa and, therefore, Adamawa forces are often the ones responding to situations there. We received a red alert about the abduction moments after it happened. However, on our end, no reinforcement was issued because it is not under our protection. Maybe the military went.”
Over 40 pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo
On the same day as the Mussa school abduction, terrorists, also on motorcycles, stormed three schools and kidnapped schoolchildren and staff in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, South West Nigeria. It was a coordinated attack across the three schools in Ahoro-Esinle, a community in the LGA.
In the early hours of May 15, motorcycle-riding attackers invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, near Alawusa, as well as Community Grammar School and the L.A Primary School in Esiele, all in the Ogbomoso axis of the state.
No armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the invaders operated in a coordinated manner that suggests they belong to a terrorist syndicate. There had been no such mass abduction in the area before now, as locals describe the remote area as peaceful until recently. Witnesses said the terrorists spoke Yoruba, Hausa, and Nigerian Pidgin as they invaded the schools, abducting over 40 pupils swiftly in a matter of minutes.
The principal of the Community High School, Alamu Folawe, was also abducted alongside the pupils, while two teachers were killed during the early morning operation. Locals in Ogbomosho town told HumAngle that the area has recently been experiencing attacks, which have been largely unreported in the mainstream media.
File: Folawe Alamu, the Principal of the Community High School and one of the abductees.
The terrorists marched the abducted pupils and teachers towards the Old Oyo National Park, causing a hail of pandemonium and panic for residents. “The axis is actually underdeveloped and is quite far from town,” said Qosim Suleiman, a resident of Ogbomosho. “They have no electricity, and no paved road networks.”
Alamu had only been redeployed to one of the schools recently, sources said. Most teachers are deployed to the community schools on a rotational basis from Ogbomosho town because “no one wants to stay permanently in the satellite villages with very poor government control.”
Following the attack, however, the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board (OYOSUBEB) has ordered the shutdown of schools in Oriire LGA due to fears of a possible recurrence of such incidents. In a statement obtained by HumAngle, OYOSUBEB also directed all primary schools in neighbouring communities, including Surulere, Oyo East, and Olorunsogo LGAs, to vacate their premises until further notice.
“This is a dark and painful moment for our education family in Oyo State, and our hearts are with the affected parents, teachers and the entire community,” said Nureni Adenira, the OYOSUBEB chairperson.
“We understand the fear and anxiety this situation has caused, and we want to assure our parents and stakeholders that the safety of our children remains our utmost priority.”
The Oyo Global Forum, a group of professionals in the state, condemned the attack, charging the government to rescue the abducted pupils and teachers from the hands of the armed assailants. The group said in a statement sent to HumAngle that “every hour of slow response emboldens these armed criminal groups and increases the risk of further attacks across vulnerable communities and adjoining forest corridors linked to Kwara and Niger states.”
“This must not be treated as an isolated incident. It is a clear national security threat requiring sustained military, intelligence, and community-based security operations,” said Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo, the chairperson of the group.
“Beyond the immediate rescue efforts, the government must urgently establish a preventive security framework across the affected axis, including strengthened rural policing, coordinated forest surveillance, and a functional early warning and rapid response system developed in partnership with local communities.”
The Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, announced in a statement on May 16 that the government has taken security measures to prevent the attackers from moving beyond the national park before they are accosted. He said security operatives have commenced a rescue operation in the axis, stressing that suspects’ movements have been restricted.
“Patrol operations also commenced this morning after intelligence indicated the suspects remained within the National Park in Oyo State,” Dotun said. “Three separate patrol teams, comprising Amotekun operatives and hunters drawn from seven local government areas in Oke-Ogun, were deployed through Igbeti towards Oloka and adjoining communities,” he added.
Amid the ongoing search for the missing pupils and teachers, footage of some of the abductees has surfaced. In one of the clips, Racheal Alamu, the Community High School principal, is seen speaking from captivity, pleading with Nigerians and the government to rescue them.
“I’m doing this video to ask for help from everyone, starting from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Oyo State government, the Christian Association of Nigeria and all well-meaning Nigerians, that they should come to our aid and settle this thing peacefully so that our lives will not be lost,” she said.
Another abductee, a woman with a baby strapped to her back, weeps heavily while asking for the government’s intervention. “We need your help so that these people will release us. Please help us,” she wailed.
HumAngle has also exclusively obtained the names of the abductees, including seven teachers and 39 pupils.
Names of Schoolchildren and Teachers Abducted During the May 15 School Attacks in Oriire LGA, Oyo State, South West, Nigeria
For many families in southern Borno and, now, in some parts of Oyo State, schooling has become entangled with fear. Any attack involving schoolchildren in Borno, particularly, inevitably revives memories of the Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping, where 276 girls were abducted by Boko Haram from their dormitories in April 2014.
More than a decade later, some of the girls are still missing.
The abduction drew global attention to attacks on education in Nigeria, but it also marked the beginning of a broader wave of school-targeted kidnappings across the country.
Even the Nigerian government’s multimillion-dollar Safe School Initiative, launched after the Chibok abduction to strengthen school security, has struggled to achieve its objectives and has been dogged by allegations of corruption, poor implementation, and inadequate protection for vulnerable communities.
In 2018, 110 girls were abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State. Two years later, hundreds of students were kidnapped in Kankara, Katsina State. Then came Jangebe in Zamfara, and later Kuriga in Kaduna State, where more than 200 pupils were abducted earlier in 2024. Subsequently, in November 2025, more than 300 schoolchildren and staff were abducted from St Mary’s School in Papiri, Niger State, in the North Central region. Some were later released in December, while others remain in captivity.
Signpost at the entrance of the Govt Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State. Photo: Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu/HumAngle.
What began in the North East gradually spread into the North West and other regions, where armed groups increasingly adopted mass kidnappings for ransom and leverage. Over time, these attacks altered something less visible: the way families think about education itself.
In 2021, UNICEF warned that attacks on schools and kidnappings “discourage parents from sending their children to school and leave children traumatised and fearful of going to classrooms to learn.” That fear now shapes daily life in places like Mussa. “My boys will not return to school anytime soon,” Kellu said. “I don’t want to lose them, too.” The incident had left her devastated, Emmanuel said. “The three boys are in my house,” he added.
Mussa itself was once emptied under the weight of conflict. Residents fled in 2015 as insurgent violence intensified across southern Borno. Many only returned the following year. “When we first came back, we could farm far outside town,” Emmanuel said. “Now, we barely go beyond one kilometre.”
Even nearby communities remain tense. In Lassa, residents had already panicked before Friday’s attack fully became clear. The previous day, according to Andrew, gunmen had abducted a logger near the town, killed five others, and burned their vehicle.
