Bandits on Wednesday attacked a secondary school in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, disrupting an ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and killing three people, including a vice principal, a six-year-old boy and a 70-year-old man.
The Kogi State Police Command said the attackers stormed Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, at about 10 a.m. in an apparent attempt to abduct students and residents of the community.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the command received a distress call indicating that a large number of heavily armed bandits riding on about 40 motorcycles had invaded the area.
According to the police, the Divisional Police Officer of Kabba ‘A’ Division immediately mobilised officers, alongside operatives of the Police Mobile Force and the Command’s tactical teams, while military personnel and local vigilantes already deployed in the area were alerted and joined the operation.
The combined security team engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to flee into the surrounding bush before they could carry out a mass abduction.
Confirming the incident, Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said reports available to the government showed that the bandits disrupted an ongoing WAEC examination and had already begun marching students into the bush when security operatives intervened.
Fanwo commended the military, local vigilantes, hunters and other security personnel whose swift response prevented what he described as a potentially devastating mass kidnapping.
“Let it be clearly stated that Kogi State will not submit to terror. Criminal elements seeking to undermine the peace and security of our state will continue to meet a determined, coordinated and uncompromising response from security agencies and the government,” he said.
The police said preliminary investigations showed there was no conclusive evidence that any student or resident was successfully abducted during the attack, although assessments were still ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
The command identified the victims as Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke; Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, aged 70; and six-year-old Sunday Ayele.
It expressed condolences to the bereaved families and assured residents that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible.
The police also disclosed that one of the bandits was killed during the exchange of gunfire, while some members of the joint security team sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving medical treatment.
Following the attack, the Commissioner of Police ordered sustained bush-combing operations and confidence-building patrols across the affected communities.
“Joint security operatives comprising the police, military personnel and local vigilantes are currently conducting intensive operations aimed at apprehending the fleeing criminals and preventing any further threat to lives and property,” the statement said.
The command urged residents to remain calm and vigilant and continue providing credible information to support ongoing security operations.
The incident adds to growing concerns over renewed attacks on schools across Nigeria.
On May 15, gunmen abducted about 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers from three schools in the Oriire area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, killing an assistant headmaster and a motorcyclist during the attack. Days later, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded by his captors.
Similarly, on May 16, suspected Boko Haram insurgents abducted about 42 pupils and students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
Boluwatife Enome
