Armed men have raided a school in central Nigeria’s Kogi State, killing three people, including a vice-principal and a six-year-old child, police say.
A large gang of gunmen, locally known as bandits, arrived on around 40 motorcycles and stormed the Government Secondary School in Iluke Bunu on Wednesday morning.
Police believe the attackers intended to carry out a mass abduction of students.
A joint security force—comprising police tactical teams, military personnel, and local vigilantes—engaged the gunmen in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to retreat into the surrounding bush.
The Kogi State police command confirmed that a mass kidnapping was averted, stating there was “no conclusive evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or other residents”.
However, three locals were killed during the initial assault. Authorities identified them as Ganiyu Anifowose, the school’s vice-principal, 70-year-old Sunday Jacob Alhassan, and six-year-old Sunday Ayele.
One of the attackers was killed in the shootout, while a member of the security team is recovering in the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds.
The regional police commissioner has ordered an intensive search of the surrounding forests to hunt down the fleeing suspects.
Mass abductions for ransom targeting schools have become a lucrative enterprise for criminal networks across northern and central Nigeria, forcing thousands of children out of education due to safety fears.
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