The Kogi State Government has confirmed the killing of a notorious bandit leader, Kachala Ibrahim Batijo, who was allegedly responsible for masterminding a recent attack on a school in Iluke Bunu, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Fanwo said Batijo was among several armed bandits neutralised during a coordinated security operation involving Nigerian security forces.
According to him, the slain bandit leader was linked to the attack on a school in Iluke Bunu, which left three persons dead, including a vice principal and a six-year-old child.
He added that Batijo had also been coordinating plans to abduct students from multiple schools across Kogi State before he was tracked and eliminated.
Describing the operation as a major breakthrough, Fanwo said security intelligence played a key role in disrupting the planned mass abductions.
He explained that the state government had earlier shut down schools for several weeks based on intelligence indicating planned attacks on students.
“It’s a process that took a very long time. Initially, we got intelligence that he wanted to attack our schools in Kogi State,” Fanwo said.
“We shut down our schools for more than three weeks. It was painful, but they were unable to take our children away.”
He further revealed that security agencies intercepted plans targeting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at Government Secondary School Iluke, which the bandits allegedly intended to exploit for mass kidnappings.
Fanwo said the state deployed high-tech intelligence systems to monitor the movement and activities of the gang leader in collaboration with the military, Department of State Services (DSS), police and local security networks.
According to him, security forces later relocated students from a vulnerable school site to a safer location within Iluke town to prevent a potential attack.
He said Batijo eventually led an attack on June 10, during which about 100 armed fighters reportedly arrived on motorcycles and targeted multiple locations in the area.
“About 40 motorcycles were used to carry about 100 terrorists to that place,” he said.
Fanwo added that although the attack was largely foiled, the bandits still attempted to infiltrate the school environment but were repelled by combined security efforts.
He stated that local security operatives provided the first line of defence before being reinforced by military personnel, police and DSS operatives.
According to him, between 15 and 20 bodies of the attackers have so far been recovered following the operation.
He also said further casualties were recorded when security forces later returned to exhume the body of the slain bandit leader for confirmation and investigation purposes.
“We are very confident that he is the one, but we will still subject that to science to confirm,” Fanwo said.
He explained that the decision to exhume the body was part of ongoing efforts to formally verify the identity of the deceased and conclude investigations into the operation.
The state government maintained that the development represents a significant victory in its efforts to combat insecurity and protect schools and communities across Kogi State.
