The Nigerian Army says it has begun tracking the gunmen who abducted four persons from an examination centre in Kogi State after the kidnappers reportedly established contact with relevant parties.
The Commanding Officer of the 21 Battalion, Lt. Col. Godiya Monde, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists at the scene of the attack in Olowa, Dekina Local Government Area of the state.
According to Monde, troops have also sealed off all suspected escape routes in a bid to prevent the abductors from moving the victims deeper into the forest.
“They’ve made some calls so far. We are tracking them to see where they are. I assure you, we are going to rescue those children,” he said.
The army commander said four people were abducted during the attack, comprising two students, the school principal and a supervisor who was at the centre for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.
“Two of those kidnapped were students, alongside the principal and the supervisor who came for the NECO examination. That brings the total number to four. We are still searching for them and monitoring developments,” he said.
Monde explained that troops immediately launched a search operation after receiving the distress call and have since deployed personnel across the surrounding forest while blocking identified crossing points used by criminal elements.
“We immediately moved into the bush in search of the attackers, and we have blocked all the suspected crossing points where we believe they may attempt to move the victims,” he stated.
The commander noted that the school, described as a “miracle centre” for external candidates sitting the Literature-in-English examination, is located in a remote area, making it difficult for security personnel to reach the scene quickly.
“The challenge was that the school is in a very isolated location. It serves as a miracle centre for external candidates. Ten students were brought here to write the Literature-in-English examination, and at about 4 p.m. we received information that the school had been attacked.
“Even locating the school was difficult, but we eventually found our way with the assistance of members of the community,” he said.
According to Monde, troops found examination scripts scattered across classrooms upon arrival, confirming that an attack had taken place.
“When we got here, we saw examination papers littered on the ground. That confirmed that the incident had indeed occurred,” he added.
