They shut the schools. But is it enough?

By: Abudu Olalekan

It started in Kogi. Bandits hit a school—UBE Secondary/Primary in Iluke. Three people died. A vice principal. A 70-year-old man. A six-year-old kid.

Schools closed early across the country. Wednesday turned into a nightmare.

Parents panicked. They grabbed their kids. In Edo, three schools shut down after the DSS warned about a planned mass abduction. In Niger, rumors sent children running home before noon.

One mother told Reportersroom: “I called my husband. I said, ‘Are the kids out?’ Nobody wants to risk it.”

The police said the Kogi attackers came on 40 motorcycles. Heavy armed. They wanted to snatch students. The police fought back, killed one bandit. But three innocent lives lost.

In Edo, the DSS intercepted two guys talking about kidnapping school children. They said kidnapping rich people didn’t pay enough. School kids? That gets government attention. Ransom money, maybe.

The state government ordered temporary closure of three schools—Ososo Grammar, Ososo Comprehensive, and Makeke Secondary. But students taking WAEC exams could still sit, under strict security.

In Minna, Niger State, the rumor spread like wildfire. Bandits targeting Christian schools. A principal, a reverend sister, said: “I kept getting calls from parents. I told them I heard the rumor but saw no terrorists. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

One parent, Mr. Isah Usman, said: “The government tells us not to pay ransom. But they give no option. Let the child die? That’s wickedness.”

The Niger police denied the attack. Said it was fake news. But people are scared anyway.

Amnesty International condemned the killings. The National Association of Okun Students called for a security summit. They said: “Hardly a week passes without kidnappings or killings.”

Meanwhile, Oyo police refuted rumors of Lukarawa terrorists in Ogbomoso. Called it false. But they deployed more patrols anyway.

Nobody feels safe.