Gunmen Strike Again, Kidnap Nasarawa Varsity Students

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have struck once again, this time targeting students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK).  At least four students have been abducted in an incident that unfolded outside the school campus in the Angwan Kare area of Keffi on Monday night. This alarming incident comes hot on the heels of another kidnapping that occurred just a day earlier.  On Sunday night, Professor Haruna Ayuba Kuje, the former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of NSUK, was abducted. The four students who have been taken captive are identified as Rahila Hanya (SLT), Josephine Gershon (Computer Science), Rosemary Samuel (Business Administration), and Goodness Samuel from the Geography Department.  It has been revealed that all of them are 100-level students. Comrade Solomon Timmy, the head of the Student Union Government (SUG), confirmed this harrowing incident to the media on Tuesday, urging everyone to remain calm as efforts are underway to secure the safe release of the abducted students. Additionally, Comrade Riwonga Lucky Ali, the SUG Secretary-General, issued a statement assuring students that measures are being taken to ensure the victims’ safe return. In a glimmer of hope amid these distressing events, there is news of the release of Professor Kuje. Samuel Alu, Chairman of NSUK Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has confirmed that Prof. Kuje was freed on Tuesday and has been reunited with his family. The former DVC’s kidnapping, which occurred at his private residence in Keffi on Sunday night, had sent shockwaves through the academic community. Authorities and security forces continue to work diligently to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and to bring those responsible to justice.

Tinubu Orders Security Agencies To Rescue Abducted Gusau Varsity Students

President Bola Tinubu has taken decisive action, instructing security agencies to undertake the immediate rescue operation of the abducted female students from the Federal University Gusau, who were forcibly taken by terrorists last Thursday. In a statement released by his media aide, Mr. Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu strongly condemned this abhorrent act of abduction. He expressed his deep concern that there could be no moral justification for such a heinous crime committed against innocent victims whose only ‘offense’ was their pursuit of a quality education. The President has reassured the families of the abducted students that no effort will be spared in ensuring their safe return. Tinubu has made a firm commitment that the Federal Government will uphold the sanctity of educational institutions, preserving them as bastions of knowledge, growth, and opportunity, and free from the menacing threats of terrorists. The horrifying incident unfolded when bandits attacked three female students’ hostels in Sabon Gida, an area where students live outside the main campus of the university, during the midnight hours last Thursday, leading to the abduction of an unknown number of students. Although many female students were kidnapped, some managed to escape.

Bandits Abduct Federal University Gusau Students

Once again, an unspecified number of students from the Federal University of Gusau were abducted in the early hours of Friday. This incident occurred when armed bandits in large numbers invaded the Sabon-Gida community in the Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State. A resident of Sabon-Gida, Nazeer Sabon-Gida, recounted the terrifying events, stating that the gunmen struck the community at around 3 am, opening fire indiscriminately. “They entered the town around 3 am and started shooting indiscriminately,” he said. “We have yet to confirm the number of students kidnapped because the bandits entered three hostels and kidnapped all the students there. It is difficult to ascertain their numbers now.” Reports monitored by NIGERIAN ANCHOR on Channels Television suggest that the bandits engaged in a fierce gun battle with troops of the Nigerian Army. However, despite the confrontation, the bandits managed to escape with the kidnapped victims. “They were seriously engaged with the army troops, but the way these bandits operate, they will divide themselves into two groups. One group will move with the kidnapped victims, while the other will stay behind to protect the first group,” Sabon-Gida explained. “The first group had left with the students while the second group engaged the army in a gun duel.” It’s worth noting that back in June, some students from the same university protested against the increasing incidents of abductions involving their fellow schoolmates in Sabon-Gida and Damba. Sabon-Gida village is situated opposite the main campus of the Federal University of Gusau, approximately 20 km from the state capital, Gusau.