“We Just Ran”: Bandits Storm Kogi Village, Kill Vice Principal and Snatch WAEC Students from Their Desks.

It started like any other exam morning in the quiet community of Iluke Bunu, Kogi State. But by midday yesterday, it turned into a scene of pure horror.

In a devastating attack that has left parents clutching their chests in fear, armed bandits invaded the community, brutally killing the Vice Principal of the Government Secondary School, Mr. Gani Anifowose. As if that wasn't enough, they didn't stop there. They rounded up students who were deep in preparation for their WAEC exams and marched them into the bush.

One resident, speaking in a shaky voice, described the chaos: "We are living under a serious threat. People are too scared to even mourn properly."

But the nightmare didn't stay in Kogi. The ripple effect of terror spread like wildfire.

Over in Minna, Niger State, panic became contagious. A rumor though later denied by police whispered that bandits were heading for the state capital. That was all the children needed to hear. Without waiting for the closing bell, pupils at various schools grabbed their bags and fled. A nun who runs a Catholic school told us on condition of anonymity: "I heard the whispers too. Before I could confirm anything, half the children had already vanished into the streets heading home."

The Niger State Police Command had to issue a frantic statement urging calm, insisting that no schools were actually attacked. But the fear, as they say, had already done its damage.

And then there is Edo State. The government there isn't taking any chances. Three public secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Council have been shut down indefinitely. Why? Security agencies intercepted a chilling conversation between two suspects planning a mass abduction. The Department of State Services (DSS) passed a warning that a "spy" had already been caught lurking in one of the schools.

Governor Monday Okpebholo’s spokesman explained the tough decision: "We are shutting these schools to keep our children alive. WAEC candidates will still be allowed in for their exams, but only under heavy guard."

For now, the students of Iluke Bunu are not just missing exams. They are missing persons. And their families are left waiting by the phone, praying for a call that might never come.