It was supposed to be an ordinary Wednesday morning. Students at UBE Secondary/Primary School in Iluke Bunu, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State had settled into their seats, answer booklets open, pens in hand — sitting the English Language paper of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. For many of them, that paper represented years of preparation. A gateway. A future.

Then the motorcycles came.

At about 10:00 a.m., a large number of heavily armed bandits operating on approximately 40 motorcycles invaded the school with the suspected intention of abducting students and other residents of the community. They came shooting sporadically, scattering students and residents in every direction. The quiet community of Iluke — a place where most people know each other by name — descended into chaos and screaming within minutes. TheCable

The attackers disrupted the ongoing WAEC examination and attempted to force some students into the bush before security operatives could respond. Blueprint Newspapers Limited

Three people would not survive that morning.


The Dead Have Names

This is not just a security report. These were real people.

Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke, was killed. So was Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, aged 70. And six-year-old Sunday Ayele. allAfrica.com

A school administrator who dedicated his career to educating Nigeria's children. A 70-year-old man who had survived seven decades of life in this country. And a six-year-old boy who was not writing any exam, who had no WAEC to sit, who had done absolutely nothing to deserve what happened to him that morning.

Sunday Ayele was six years old.

Let that settle.


The Response

Upon receiving distress calls, the Divisional Police Officer of Kabba "A" Division immediately activated a coordinated security response, mobilising personnel from the division alongside operatives of the Police Mobile Force and tactical teams. Military personnel and local vigilante groups in the area also joined the operation. allAfrica.com

Troops of the Nigerian Army stationed at the nearby community of Suku-Kiri Bunu responded swiftly and arrived in Iluke Bunu, successfully foiling what could have resulted in the mass abduction of students and staff. During the ensuing confrontation, one of the bandits was reportedly neutralised, while the remaining attackers fled the scene. At least one security operative was wounded in the exchange and is currently receiving treatment. The Sun Nigeria

The Kogi State Government confirmed that all students were eventually rescued and returned to safety, commending the military, vigilantes, and hunters for their swift intervention.


Fear Spreads Beyond Kogi

The attack in Iluke did not stay in Iluke.

In Minna, Niger State, pupils did not wait for the closing bell — they abandoned their classrooms and ran home mid-day after rumours spread that bandits were advancing on the state capital. Parents frantically called school heads to confirm whether their children were safe. A Catholic school principal, speaking anonymously, confirmed that most of her students had already fled before she could make any announcement. The Niger State Police Command later visited the affected schools and denied any attack had taken place, urging the public to disregard what it described as panic spread by mischief-makers.

In Edo State, the government went further. Three schools were shut down following a Department of State Security intelligence report about a planned mass abduction of school children, particularly in Edo North Senatorial District. The document reportedly described an intercepted communication between two suspects actively planning the operation, and noted that a suspected spy had already been arrested inside one of the affected schools. Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School, and Makeke Secondary School were all closed until further notice — with only WASSCE candidates permitted to access exam centres under strict security arrangements. Punch


This Is a Pattern, Not an Incident

What happened in Iluke Bunu on Wednesday is not a one-off. It is the latest attack in a wave of school invasions that has been terrorising Nigeria for weeks. This comes less than a month after bandits abducted 39 students and seven teachers from three schools in Ogbomoso, Oyo State — victims who, as of today, remain in captivity.

Nigeria's schools are under siege. Examination season — the one period when students are most concentrated, most visible, and most vulnerable — has become hunting season for armed groups who know exactly what they are doing.


A Community Crying Out

"We woke up to heavy gunfire this morning. The bandits came into the community and there was panic everywhere. People were running for safety while students writing WAEC were thrown into fear," one resident told reporters. "If not for the quick intervention of soldiers from the nearby military formation and vigilantes, many students would have been taken away. The soldiers engaged the attackers and forced them to retreat." Legit.ng


The community association has made urgent appeals to security agencies and the government to immediately intensify efforts to restore peace, secure the area, and ensure that no child in Iluke Bunu ever has to run from motorcycles while holding a pen again.

Because somewhere in Kogi State tonight, the family of Ganiyu Anifowose is mourning a man who spent his life building the future of other people's children. The family of Sunday Jacob Alhassan is mourning a 70-year-old man who deserved to die peacefully. And the family of Sunday Ayele is mourning a six-year-old boy who should be alive.

His name was Sunday Ayele. He was six years old. And he deserved better from this country.


Opro News will continue to follow developments in this story.