Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State was thrown into chaos yesterday when armed bandits attacked Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, killing the Vice Principal, Mr. Gani Anifowose, along with a septuagenarian and a six-year-old boy
The assailants struck at about 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday while students were sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Reports indicate that some students and residents were abducted during the attack, though police authorities said they could not confirm any mass abduction.
This incident adds to a growing wave of banditry in recent weeks, intensifying calls from civil society groups and security experts for the government to step up efforts in addressing Nigeria’s escalating insecurity.
A source confirmed that three students and some residents were kidnapped in the Wednesday attack.
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“The major target of the attack was UBE Iluke Bunu, where students from three communities were sitting the WASSCE examination at the time of the invasion. The vice principal of Government Secondary School, Aharha-Bunu, Mr. Gani Anifowose, was killed alongside two other persons. Three students and some residents were abducted in the attack,” the source said.
The Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, Zacchaeus Dare Michael, condemned the attack, describing it as unfortunate, barbaric and unacceptable.
He sympathised with the families of those who lost their lives in the attack, assuring them that efforts were being intensified to arrest the culprits.
“The local government administration is working closely with relevant security agencies and stakeholders to ensure that lasting measures are put in place to forestall any recurrence of such attacks,” the chairman added.
The Kogi State Police Command in a statement by its spokesperson, ASP Afusat Oyiza Saliu, confirmed the vice principal’s killing. She identified the two other slain victims as one Mr Sunday Jacob Alhassan, 70, and a six-year-old boy, Sunday Ayele.
According to the statement, the command received distress information at about 10am that a large number of bandits on about 40 motorcycles had invaded Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu to abduct students and other residents of the community.
“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Kabba ‘A’ Division, immediately activated a coordinated security response by mobilising personnel from the Division, alongside operatives of the Police Mobile Force and the Command’s Tactical Teams.
“Other security personnel already deployed in the area, including military personnel and local vigilante groups, were equally alerted and joined the operation. The combined security operatives engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel, forcing the criminals to flee into the surrounding bush,” it added.
However, the police authorities noted that preliminary findings did not show conclusive evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or other residents, but said “investigations and ongoing assessments are continuing to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
The command assured that efforts were being made to bring the perpetrators to justice, adding that during the exchange of gunfire, a bandit was neutralised while security operatives sustained gunshot injuries and are receiving medical treatment.
Attacks on Kabba-Bunu
Several communities in Kabba-Bunu LGA had witnessed deadly attacks in recent months, resulting in killings and kidnapping of residents and travellers.
Bandits invaded Ayegunle Bunu community on June 1, killing two persons and abducting several others. Some of the victims were passengers travelling through the area when the attackers intercepted their vehicle. The police said 30 persons were kidnapped during the attack, comprising 26 males and four females.
In January 2026, at least three people were killed and about 30 residents were abducted when bandits attacked Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba-Bunu LGA. The incident forced many residents to flee their homes as security agencies launched rescue operations.
A community spokesperson, David Ampitan, in a statement, called for immediate intervention to secure the release of those still in captivity and restore security across the entire Bunu district.
Earlier, in December 2025, bandits attacked Ihalé and Olle communities, killing two persons and abducting several residents. In November 2025, two people were confirmed dead following an attempted attack on Kiri High School in Aiyetoro Kiri, also in Kabba-Bunu LGA.
The bandits reportedly stormed the school in what authorities described as an attempt to abduct students. The attack was, however, repelled by local vigilantes and hunters.
Edo shuts schools over security threat
Meanwhile, the Edo State Government has temporarily closed three secondary schools in Edo North Senatorial District following security threats reported by relevant agencies.
The state command of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) had earlier raised the alarm over a planned abduction of schoolchildren in parts of the state.
In a statement, the DSS disclosed that intelligence reports indicated that suspected bandits were plotting to kidnap schoolchildren, particularly in Edo North Senatorial District. Consequently, the state’s Ministry of Education announced the temporary closure of the affected schools.
In a statement signed by Enodolomwanyi Otamere on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, the ministry listed the affected institutions as Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School, and Makeke Secondary School – all located in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
All academic and non-academic activities in the affected schools have been suspended until further notice.
However, the ministry said candidates sitting the ongoing WASSCE would be allowed to continue their examinations under strict security arrangements and with the support of community stakeholders.
It said the temporary closure of schools was in line with the government’s commitment to protecting lives and property, directing principals to ensure the safe and orderly release of students to their parents and guardians.
The statement added that school authorities should maintain close communication with the ministry, the Chief Inspector of Education and security agencies, and comply strictly with any further directives issued by the government.
Parents, guardians, and members of the affected communities were advised to remain calm and cooperate fully with security agencies as efforts were being intensified to safeguard residents and restore normal academic activities as soon as possible.
Insecurity worsening, Shariah council tells FG
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) has expressed outrage over the worsening insecurity across the country, saying Nigerians continue to face daily killings, kidnappings and terrorist attacks despite repeated government assurances.
In a statement signed on Tuesday by its Secretary General, Nafiu Baba Ahmad, the council said the security situation had deteriorated to an alarming level, with communities across the country increasingly vulnerable to criminal activities.
The council cited recent mass abductions in Borno, Oyo, Niger and Zamfara states, as well as the kidnapping of a retired General and his wife in Katsina State, as evidence of the deepening crisis.
It said the incidents represented only a fraction of the tragedies occurring daily, noting that many cases went unreported.
“According to security monitoring organisations and human rights groups, thousands of Nigerians have been killed, abducted, or displaced in recent months. Reports further indicate that more than one thousand individuals were abducted in northern Nigeria during the first quarter of the year alone.
“Behind each statistic lies a human story, a life cut short or disrupted, a grieving family, and a community forced to live in fear, uncertainty, and insecurity,” the council stated.
It said repeated appeals by traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for improved security had yielded little result, noting that Nigerians were tired of official statements, condolences and promises not backed by concrete action.
The council stressed that the country urgently needed decisive leadership and measurable outcomes.
“The federal government must understand that security is not a favour to citizens; it is its fundamental constitutional obligation. The time has come for those entrusted with leadership to either effectively perform their responsibilities or relinquish their positions to those who can.
“No government can legitimately claim success while vast portions of its territory remain vulnerable to criminal elements who operate with apparent impunity,” it said.
While acknowledging the sacrifices of security personnel serving under difficult conditions, the council called for greater accountability and transparency in the management of funds allocated to the security sector.
It noted that trillions of naira had been spent on defence, intelligence gathering, military operations and logistics over the years, yet insecurity continued to worsen.
Nigeria is bleeding, says NEF
In a similar vein, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Wednesday lamented that Nigeria is bleeding and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a national security emergency.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, the NEF said the security challenge in the country is on the edge of a precipice and called for urgent and drastic steps to salvage the country from falling into anarchy.
“Nigerians are deeply in fear and when citizens live in fear, communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness; millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) expresses its deepest outrage and concern over the relentless collapse of security across the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No nation can claim progress when its citizens live in fear, its communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness while millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable.
“Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that ‘the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.’ Today, Nigerians are compelled to ask a painful but legitimate question: if the protection of lives and property is the foremost duty of the government, why are citizens increasingly left to fend for themselves against kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, violent extremists, and organized criminal gangs?
“From the forests of Zamfara and Katsina to the highways of Kaduna and Niger; from communities in Plateau and Benue to parts of Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, Imo and beyond, violence has become a recurring feature of daily life. Communities are attacked, citizens are abducted, farmers are displaced from their lands, travellers are ambushed on major highways, and businesses are forced to operate under conditions of uncertainty and fear,” the statement read in part.
The NEF urged the federal government to immediately declare a national security emergency and implement extraordinary measures to reverse the current trajectory. It also demanded immediate restructuring and strengthening of intelligence coordination among all security agencies; aggressive disruption of kidnapping and banditry networks through sustained operations and modern surveillance capabilities.
The forum further called for “full investigation and prosecution of sponsors, collaborators, financiers, and beneficiaries of violent criminal groups, regardless of status, ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation; comprehensive auditing of illegal mining operations and criminal economic activities linked to insecurity; enhanced protection of farming communities, schools, transportation corridors, and vulnerable rural populations and greater transparency and accountability regarding security expenditures and operational outcomes.”
Earlier on Monday, a group of eminent Nigerians, including former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, Chairman of Media Trust Group, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, had warned that Nigeria is facing a deepening crisis marked by rising insecurity, electoral manipulation and weakening democratic institutions.
The group, which also includes Dr Husseini Abdu, Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim and Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN), said their assessment showed that Nigeria was “at a dangerous crossroads” where multiple challenges were converging to threaten the country’s stability.
“Our assessment of the state of the nation reveals that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads where rising insecurity, an alarming level of electoral manipulation by government, and the weakening of democratic institutions are converging into a national crisis that threatens the country’s survival,” they said.
Also, the House of Representatives on Tuesday asked the service chiefs to “honourably resign from office” if the country’s security situation persists within a clearly defined period.
The green chamber called on President Tinubu to come up with a comprehensive and aggressive security strategy to flush out bandits, terrorists and kidnappers from their hideouts. The call followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance moved by Ibe Osonwa, the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia, during plenary.
