Gunmen kill three in attack on school in Nigeria's Kogi state

Gunmen killed three people after storming Government Secondary School in Iluke Bunu, Kogi state, as students sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination English Language paper. Police said joint security forces, including police officers, soldiers and local vigilantes, repelled the assault after a gun battle that left one suspected attacker dead.

The dead included the school vice principal, identified in local reports as Gani Anifowose, a 70-year-old man and a 6-year-old child. One security operative was also injured. The attack hit Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area in central Nigeria and underscored how quickly a school compound can become a killing ground when armed men reach a civilian community.

Residents said the assault began around 10 a.m., and some local reports said about 40 motorcycles carried the gunmen into Iluke Bunu. Other reports alleged the attackers wore military-style uniforms, but police did not confirm that detail. Authorities said the remaining assailants fled into nearby bush and were being hunted.

The police said there was no conclusive evidence of a mass abduction, even as some local outlets reported that three students were taken. That uncertainty added to the fear around the school, where an exam day was abruptly turned into a security emergency. The presence of children, teachers and exam officials made the scene especially volatile, with families left waiting for clear answers as officers tried to verify what had happened.

The assault fits a broader pattern of armed violence that has repeatedly targeted schools and rural communities across Nigeria. Kidnappings have struck more often in the northwest, but the Kogi attack showed that armed groups can test state control far beyond the most notorious flashpoints. In Bunu District, residents called for urgent government intervention after the shooting, while opposition politician Peter Obi said targeting schools is a direct assault on Nigeria’s future. The attack left another reminder that in parts of the country, the school bell can be followed by gunfire.