KOGI CONFIRMS ELIMINATION OF NOTORIOUS BANDIT LINKED TO FAILED SCHOOL ABDUCTION ATTACK

KOGI CONFIRMS ELIMINATION OF NOTORIOUS BANDIT LINKED TO FAILED SCHOOL ABDUCTION ATTACK

The Kogi State Government has confirmed the killing of notorious bandit leader Kachala Ibrahim Batijo, a suspected criminal mastermind allegedly responsible for coordinating a recent attack on a school in Iluke Bunu, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the state.

The confirmation was made on Tuesday by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

According to the commissioner, Batijo was among several armed bandits neutralised during a coordinated security operation carried out by Nigerian security forces following intelligence reports on planned attacks targeting schools within the state.

The slain bandit leader was reportedly linked to the June 10 attack on a school in Iluke Bunu, an incident that resulted in the deaths of three people, including a vice principal and a six-year-old child.

Fanwo disclosed that Batijo had allegedly been coordinating plans to abduct students from multiple schools across Kogi State before security agencies intensified surveillance efforts.

He explained that state authorities had earlier received intelligence indicating plans to launch attacks on schools, prompting the government to temporarily shut down educational institutions for more than three weeks as a preventive security measure.

According to him, intelligence reports also suggested that the group intended to attack students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination at Government Secondary School, Iluke, with plans to carry out a mass abduction.

The commissioner said the Kogi State Government had invested significantly in advanced intelligence gathering technology, which helped authorities monitor the movement and activities of the suspected criminal network.

As part of precautionary measures, students in vulnerable areas were relocated to safer locations within Iluke town while security agencies monitored the activities of the armed group.

Speaking further on the incident, Fanwo said approximately 100 armed terrorists riding on about 40 motorcycles invaded Iluke on June 10 in an attempt to attack multiple locations, including the targeted school.

However, he stated that local security operatives, supported by military personnel, the Department of State Services (DSS), police officers, and other security agencies successfully foiled the attack, preventing the abduction of any students.

The commissioner described the operation as a major success in the state’s fight against insecurity, noting that security forces were able to neutralise Batijo alongside several members of his group during the confrontation.

He revealed that between 15 and 20 bodies believed to be those of the attackers had already been recovered, while additional armed suspects were reportedly neutralised during a follow-up security operation.

According to Fanwo, authorities later moved to exhume a body believed to be Batijo’s after intelligence indicated surviving gang members had secretly buried him following the operation.

He added that although security agencies are highly confident the recovered body belongs to Batijo, scientific examination and further investigations are being conducted to officially verify the identity.

The Kogi State Government described the operation as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to strengthen security operations and protect residents, particularly students and educational institutions, from criminal attacks.

Authorities reiterated their commitment to working with security agencies to sustain pressure on armed criminal groups operating within the state.