Bandits Disrupt WAEC Exam in Kogi, Kill Vice Principal, 6 year-old Boy

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Three persons, including a school vice principal and a six-year-old boy, were killed on Wednesday when armed bandits attacked a community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, disrupting an ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Kogi State Police Command, SP Saliu Afusat, the attack occurred at about 10 a.m. when a large number of heavily armed bandits riding on about 40 motorcycles stormed Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, allegedly with the intention of abducting students and residents.

The police said the Divisional Police Officer of Kabba ‘A’ Division immediately mobilised personnel alongside operatives of the Police Mobile Force and the command’s tactical teams in response to a distress call.

Other security personnel already deployed in the area, including military operatives and local vigilantes, were also alerted and joined the operation.

The combined security team engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to abandon their mission and flee into the surrounding bush.

In a separate statement, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed that the attackers disrupted an ongoing WAEC examination and had already begun leading students into the bush before 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 abduction.

“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 noted that preliminary investigations had not established any successful mass abduction of students or residents, adding that further assessments were ongoing to determine the full extent of the incident.

However, the command confirmed that three people lost their lives during the attack. They were identified as Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke; Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, aged 70; and six-year-old Sunday Ayele.

The command expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured them that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible.

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 injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment.

The Commissioner of Police has 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 while providing credible information to security agencies to support ongoing operations.

The incident has heightened concerns over the resurgence of attacks on schools across Nigeria.

On May 15, bandits reportedly abducted about 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers from three schools in the Oriire axis of Ogbomoso, Oyo State, during an attack that also claimed the lives of an assistant headmaster and a motorcyclist.

Days later, one of the abducted teachers, Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by his captors, sparking nationwide outrage.

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, further underscoring the growing insecurity facing educational institutions in parts of the country.

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