Tragedy struck Iluke Bunu community in the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday after heavily armed bandits invaded a local school, disrupted the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and killed three people, including the school’s vice principal and a six-year-old boy.
The security crisis was confirmed in separate official statements issued by the Kogi State Police Command and the State Ministry of Information and Communication.
According to a statement released by the spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command, Saliu Afusat, law enforcement received a distress call at approximately 10:00 a.m. indicating that a large convoy of heavily armed bandits, operating on about 40 motorcycles, had stormed Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu. Preliminary assessments suggest the criminals invaded the facility with the primary intention of executing a mass abduction of students and local residents.
Upon receiving the alert, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Kabba ‘A’ Division activated an immediate security response, mobilizing division personnel alongside operatives from the Police Mobile Force (PMF) and the Command’s Tactical Teams. Military personnel and local vigilante groups already stationed in the general area were also alerted and joined the joint tactical operation.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed in a separate statement that the bandits struck while students were actively writing their WAEC examination. Fanwo disclosed that the attackers had already rounded up students and begun marching them into the deep bush when the combined team of security forces intercepted them, sparking a fierce gun duel
The intensive firefight forced the heavily armed bandits to abandon their captives and flee back into the surrounding forest. While security forces successfully thwarted the mass abduction, three local residents tragically lost their lives during the assault.
The police command identified the victims as:
- Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, the Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke.
- Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, aged 70 years.
- Sunday Ayele, a six-year-old boy.
The police command also revealed that one of the bandits was neutralised during the exchange of gunfire. However, some security operatives attached to the joint response team sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries during the confrontation and are currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
Following the tactical repelling of the attack, police authorities stated that preliminary findings show “no conclusive evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or other residents.” However, rigorous assessments and investigations remain ongoing to map out the full circumstances of the breach.
The state government extended deep gratitude to the military, local vigilantes, hunters, and police personnel whose timely intervention prevented what would have been a catastrophic mass kidnapping incident.
“Let it be clearly stated that Kogi State will not submit to terror,” Commissioner Fanwo stated, reinforcing the government’s stance. “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.”
The Kogi State Commissioner of Police has since commiserated with the families of the three deceased victims, assuring them that law enforcement will spare no effort to bring the perpetrators to book. To ensure public safety, the CP has ordered a sustained bush-combing exercise alongside confidence-building patrols across the affected communities.
The police command urged members of the public to remain calm but highly vigilant, requesting that residents continue to feed security agencies with timely and credible information to assist the ongoing joint operations.
