Tragedy struck in Kogi State on Wednesday as suspected bandits invaded a secondary school in Iluke, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, killing a vice principal and two other persons during an attempted abduction of students sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
Sources in the community said the armed attackers stormed the area in the early hours of the day and opened fire indiscriminately, triggering panic among residents and candidates participating in the ongoing examination.
The assailants were reportedly targeting students at UBE Iluke Bunu, one of the centres where candidates were writing the WASSCE.
In the attack, the Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Aharha-Bunu, identified as Gani Anifowose, was shot dead alongside two other victims.
However, troops of the Nigerian Army stationed in nearby Suku-Kiri Bunu were said to have responded swiftly after receiving a distress call, preventing what residents described as a planned mass abduction of students and school personnel.
Local sources disclosed that the soldiers engaged the attackers in a gun battle, during which one of the suspected bandits was killed, forcing the remaining members of the group to flee.
The intervention by security operatives was credited with averting a larger tragedy, as hundreds of students were reportedly on the school premises at the time of the attack.
Despite the successful repulsion of the assailants, concerns remained on Wednesday evening over the whereabouts of some residents who could not be immediately accounted for after the invasion.
The development has heightened fears among residents of Kabba-Bunu, who have repeatedly raised concerns over growing security threats in the area.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Kogi State Government nor the police had released an official statement detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The attack adds to a growing list of security challenges confronting communities across the country, particularly in areas where schools and rural settlements have increasingly come under threat from armed groups.