LAGOS, Nigeria, Fear spread across parts of Nigeria on Wednesday after a deadly attack on a school community in Kogi State and intelligence reports warning of possible kidnappings forced some schools to close and sent anxious parents rushing to collect their children.
The concerns followed an attack by suspected bandits on the UBE Secondary Primary School in Iluke, a community in Kogi State’s Kabba Bunu Local Government Area, where three people were killed, including a vice principal and a six year old boy.
Police said the attackers, who arrived on about 40 motorcycles, stormed the area on Wednesday morning in what appeared to be an attempt to abduct students and residents.
Security forces, including police officers, soldiers and local vigilantes, responded after receiving distress calls from the community. Authorities said one suspected attacker was killed during a gun battle, while a member of the security team was injured.
The victims were identified as Vice Principal Ganiyu Anifowose, 70 year old Sunday Jacob Alhassan and six year old Sunday Ayele.
Despite initial fears, police said there was no confirmed evidence that students were successfully abducted during the attack. Investigations are continuing.
The violence has reignited concerns about the safety of schools in Africa’s most populous country, where students have repeatedly been targeted by armed groups in recent years.
In Edo State, authorities ordered the temporary closure of three schools after the Department of State Services warned of a possible plot to kidnap schoolchildren in parts of the state.
According to the intelligence report, two suspected bandits allegedly told investigators they were considering targeting students after previous attempts to kidnap wealthy individuals failed to produce significant ransom payments.
The report prompted the closure of Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School in Akoko Edo Local Government Area.
The Edo State Ministry of Education said all academic activities at the affected schools would remain suspended until further notice. However, students currently sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination will continue their exams under heightened security.
Security officials said additional surveillance and patrols had already been deployed around schools identified as vulnerable.
In Niger State, rumours of an impending attack caused panic in parts of Minna and surrounding communities, leading some schools to dismiss students early.
Parents described frantic efforts to contact schools and ensure their children were safe.
“I immediately started calling my husband to make sure our children had left school,” said Chinenye Nwadike, a mother of three in Minna. “Nobody wants to take chances with their children’s lives.”
A principal at a Catholic school in the city said parents began calling as soon as rumours of a possible attack started circulating.
“People are scared because of what has been happening across the country,” she said, requesting anonymity because she was not authorised to speak publicly.
The Niger State Police Command later dismissed the reports as false and said officers had visited the schools mentioned in the rumours without finding evidence of any attack.
Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun urged residents to ignore the claims and warned against spreading unverified information that could create panic.
Even so, the rumours reflected a growing sense of anxiety among many Nigerian families, particularly after recent reports of student abductions elsewhere in the country.
School kidnappings have become one of the most troubling features of Nigeria’s security crisis over the past decade.
The issue drew global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria. Since then, armed gangs operating mainly in the northwestern and central regions have carried out a series of mass kidnappings from schools and rural communities, often demanding ransom payments.
Thousands of students have seen their education disrupted as schools temporarily shut down or introduced stricter security measures.
Human rights group Amnesty International condemned the killings in Iluke and called on authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
“No child should have to fear violence while pursuing education,” the organisation said.
Student groups and community leaders also expressed concern about what they described as worsening insecurity across several regions.
The National Association of Okun Students called for an emergency security summit involving government officials, traditional rulers and security agencies to develop a coordinated response to the growing threat.
“The frequency of these attacks is becoming unbearable,” the group said in a statement.
Meanwhile, police in Oyo State dismissed reports circulating on social media that suspected terrorists had entered forests around Ogbomoso and the Old Oyo National Park.
Authorities described the claims as false but said security patrols and intelligence operations had been strengthened in vulnerable areas as a precaution.
Successive Nigerian governments have promised to improve protection for schools through various security initiatives, including the Safe Schools programme. Yet attacks on rural communities and learning centres continue to test those efforts.
For many parents, Wednesday’s events served as another reminder that concerns over security remain deeply woven into everyday life.
As investigations continue in Kogi and security agencies respond to threats elsewhere, families across the country are once again asking whether schools can truly remain safe places for children to learn.
