The Kogi State Police Command has announced the successful rescue of 14 abducted students from the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene.
The students were abducted by bandits while preparing for their upcoming exams on Thursday night.
According to reports, the bandits stormed the university premises through the bush, entered three lecture halls, and fired shots into the air to instill fear among the students.
In a telephone conversation with the PUNCH on Sunday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, William Aya, stated, “So far, 14 of them have been rescued. Our men are in the bush trying to find the rest.”
Meanwhile, the state government, through the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, confirmed that some of the abducted students had been rescued.
While the exact number of rescued students wasn’t specified, Fanwo attributed the success of the rescue operation to the coordinated efforts of security operatives and local vigilante groups.
Fanwo stated, “Local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout, and the kidnappers succumbed to superior firepower, escaping with gunshot wounds. Many of the students kidnapped have been rescued and taken to medical facilities for proper attention.”
He further noted that during the rescue operation, a local hunter and a DSS operative sustained injuries and were receiving medical attention.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had earlier assured the safe return of the abducted students and activated security measures to track the kidnappers.
He expressed concern about possible insider collaboration in the abduction, highlighting the suspicious shutdown of CCTV cameras on the day of the attack.
Ododo vowed to ensure the perpetrators face justice and called on residents to report anyone with gunshot wounds to law enforcement agencies.
