Almost a month after terrorists attacked three schools in Oyo State, abducting no fewer than 40 pupils, alongside teachers, they again struck at Iluke Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State yesterday, killing a vice principal and two others, as well as kidnapping three students who were about to write WAEC examination.
The attack came on a day the Edo State Government ordered immediate closure of three secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, following intelligence reports of a planned kidnap attack targeting students.
This is even as there was pandemonium in Minna, the Niger State capital, yesterday as parents stormed schools to withdraw their children, amid rumours of terrorists’ invasion of the city.
In Lagos, there was also panic in schools located in Ojokoro area of the city, following what turned out to be a prank over alleged kidnapping of students and teachers, prompting parents to besiege the schools to withdraw their children.
Consequently, Northern elders, under the auspices of Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently declare a national security emergency, saying Nigeria is bleeding.
The attack in Kogi, which occurred in the early hours of yesterday, threw the community into mourning and heightened concerns over the security situation in the area.
Community sources identified the deceased as Mr. Gani Anifowose, Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Iluke, who was reportedly killed along with two others during the invasion by the assailants.
Residents disclosed that the attackers operated for hours, creating fear and confusion within the community.
Three students of the community said to be writing the English Language paper in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, were said to have been abducted by the terrorists.
VANGUARD
