Why army’s response to Kogi school attack was delayed — Commander

Troops struggled to reach an isolated school in Nigeria's Kogi State where gunmen abducted four people, including students, the principal, and a supervisor, according to the Commanding Officer of the 21 Battalion, Godiya Monde.

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The issue is that this school is definitely isolated, and yeah, it’s actually tagged as a miracle centre for the students. Ten students were brought here for the Literature in English exams, and around 1600 hours, we got the call that the school was attacked.

Monde explained that the school, located in a remote area of Olowa community and known as a "miracle centre" for external exam candidates, was difficult to find. "Even to locate the school was not easy, but we finally got here with the aid of somebody from the community," he stated.

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Even to locate the school was not easy, but we finally got here with the aid of somebody from the community.

By the time soldiers arrived, the attackers had already escaped, leaving examination papers scattered. "When we got here, we saw some papers littered on the ground. That was when we confirmed that actually something of that nature must have taken place in these classes," Monde said.

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When we got here, we saw some papers littered on the ground. That was when we confirmed that actually something of that nature must have taken place in these classes.

Soldiers immediately began searching the surrounding bush and have blocked suspected escape routes. The abductors have contacted authorities, and efforts are underway to track their location and rescue the victims. "I’m assuring you, we’re going to rescue those children," Monde pledged.

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That was how we sprung into action, went into the bush searching, and we have, presently, we have blocked all the suspected crossing points where we expect them to move with those children to.