Armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Iluke community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State on Wednesday but were repelled by security operatives following a coordinated response that prevented what authorities described as a planned attack on a secondary school and surrounding residents.

The incident was disclosed in a statement issued by the Kogi State Police Command through its spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, on June 10, 2026.

According to the statement, the Command received a distress report at about 10:00 am indicating that a large group of heavily armed bandits riding about 40 motorcycles had invaded the area around Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu.

The police said the attackers were suspected to have targeted students and other members of the community for possible abduction.

Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer of Kabba ‘A’ Division mobilised personnel from the division alongside operatives of the Police Mobile Force, tactical teams, military personnel and local vigilante groups already operating in the area.

The combined security team engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat into nearby bushes.

“The combined security operatives engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel, forcing the criminals to flee into the surrounding bush,” the statement said.

The Command stated that preliminary investigations had not established any successful mass abduction of students or residents during the attack.

“Preliminary findings indicate that there is presently no conclusive evidence of a successful mass abduction of students or other residents,” the police added.

The Command, however, confirmed that three persons lost their lives during the incident. The victims were identified as Mr. Ganiyu Anifowose, Vice Principal of UBE Secondary/Primary School, Iluke, Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan 70, and six year-old Sunday Ayele.

The police expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured them that efforts were ongoing to apprehend those responsible.

During the exchange of gunfire, one suspected bandit was killed, while a security operative attached to the joint team sustained gunshot injuries and is receiving medical treatment.

The Commissioner of Police in Kogi State has directed sustained bush-combing operations and confidence-building patrols across the affected communities.

The police said joint security teams have continued operations in the area to arrest the fleeing suspects.

Residents were urged to remain calm and continue providing credible information to security agencies to support ongoing operations.

The Delta State Police Command has arrested a woman identified simply as Joy for allegedly abducting two infants to replace her deceased twin babies ahead of a planned child dedication ceremony.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Bright Edafe, revealed the incident in a video shared on Facebook.

He described the incident as one of the most disturbing child abduction cases handled by the command, adding that the suspect allegedly abducted a four-month-old baby after posing as a customer at a groundnut-selling point.

He said the suspect allegedly took advantage of a moment of distraction, deceived a 14-year-old caregiver, and fled with the child.

According to him, investigations further revealed that Joy had allegedly abducted another infant weeks earlier using a similar method. He added that she was said to have befriended an 18-year-old mother under the pretext of helping her secure a househelp before making away with the baby during an outing.

He said that during interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed that she resorted to stealing the children following the death of her biological twins, whom she claimed died at six weeks old while she was away from home.

“Fearing the reaction of relatives and invited guests, she allegedly decided to abduct a boy and a girl to replace the deceased children,” the statement said.

Edafe said the suspect admitted abducting the first child about three weeks earlier and stealing the second infant a day before the scheduled dedication service, adding that the two children were allegedly presented and dedicated before her arrest.

A Toyota Corolla car belonging to a Magistrate in Abia State, Ngozi Lekwa of Court 2, has reportedly been stolen in Umuahia by car thieves.

The vehicle was packed outside the court premises along Finbars Road by the owner on Tuesday, to handle a brief official duty, but was nowhere to be found by the time the Chief Magistrate returned to the spot at noon.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the Abia State Police Command, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said the case has been reported to the police, stressing that investigations were ongoing to recover the car and apprehend the thieves.

In a related development, a Brown Toyota Sienna car belonging to the wife of the traditional ruler of Nkpa community in Bende LGA, G.N. Izuwa, was on Sunday, stolen at the Assemblies of God Church, Umuahia by unknown persons.

The vehicle was taken away at No. 5-8 Item Street, Umuahia, when the Monarch’s wife, who came to church in the car, was still worshipping inside the church.

Also, the Abia State correspondent of Vanguard newspaper, Steve Oko’s black Toyota Camry car, was also stolen in front of Oko’s residence at Uwalaka Street, Umuahia, a few weeks ago and has not yet been found, among other reports.