Three people, including a school vice principal and a six-year-old boy, were killed on Wednesday when armed bandits invaded a secondary school in Kogi State, disrupting an ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The attack occurred at Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.
According to the Kogi State Police Command, a large group of heavily armed bandits arrived on about 40 motorcycles around 10 a.m. with the apparent aim of abducting students and residents.Security forces, including police, military personnel, and local vigilantes, swiftly responded and engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle.
The bandits were forced to retreat into the surrounding bush. One bandit was killed during the exchange, while some security operatives sustained gunshot injuries and are receiving treatment.
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed that the attackers had begun marching students into the bush before the security intervention halted the attempt.
He praised the joint security teams for preventing what could have been a major mass abduction.
No Mass AbductionPolice spokesperson Saliu Afusat stated that preliminary investigations found no evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or residents.
However, three civilians lost their lives in the attack: Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke; Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, 70; and six-year-old Sunday Ayele.
The police have launched sustained bush-combing operations and confidence-building patrols in the area to apprehend the fleeing bandits.
The Commissioner of Police has ordered intensified joint operations to restore normalcy.In a statement, the state government vowed not to yield to terror and assured residents of a determined response from security agencies.
It urged the public to remain vigilant and provide timely information to security forces.
The incident adds to growing concerns over bandit attacks on schools across Nigeria. In recent weeks, similar assaults in Oyo and Borno states resulted in the abduction of dozens of students and teachers, along with several deaths.
Authorities continue to investigate the Kogi attack, with further updates expected as operations progress.
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