Kogi Confirms Killing of Notorious Bandit Linked to School Attack

By Margaret Abah

The Kogi State Government has confirmed the killing of notorious bandit leader, Kachala Ibrahim Batijo, who was allegedly behind the recent attack on a school in Iluke Bunu, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily.

According to Fanwo, Batijo was among several bandits neutralised in a coordinated operation involving the military, the Department of State Services (DSS), the police and local security outfits.

He said the slain bandit leader masterminded the June 10 attack on Iluke Bunu, which claimed the lives of three persons, including a vice principal and a six-year-old child.

Fanwo revealed that intelligence reports had earlier indicated plans by the bandit leader to launch attacks on schools across the state and abduct students.

He said the state government was compelled to shut down schools for more than three weeks to protect students from the planned attacks.

The commissioner disclosed that the bandits had also targeted candidates writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination at Government Secondary School, Iluke, with the intention of abducting them.

According to him, the state government relied on advanced intelligence-gathering technology to monitor the activities of the gang and relocated students from the remote school location to the centre of Iluke town.

Fanwo said the June 10 attack involved about 100 terrorists riding on 40 motorcycles, but security operatives and local vigilantes successfully repelled the assault, preventing the abduction of any student.

He described the operation that led to the killing of Batijo and several members of his gang as a major breakthrough in the fight against insecurity in the state.

“As I speak, more than 15 to 20 bodies of terrorists have been recovered, and while security forces went to the location where Batijo was secretly buried for exhumation, more terrorists were neutralised,” he said.

Fanwo added that although security agencies were confident that the slain bandit was Batijo, his remains would undergo scientific examination and autopsy to establish his identity conclusively.

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to sustaining collaboration with security agencies to rid the state of criminal elements and ensure the safety of residents.