Bandits attack Kogi Varsity, abduct nine students

Bandits have attacked the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Okene in Kogi, and abducted a yet-to-be ascertained number of students.

Security sources said that quite a handful of students were in the class to read in preparation for the first-semester examination scheduled for Monday, May 13.

The gunmen were said to have entered the classrooms on Thursday night and started shooting sporadically into the air while an unspecified number of students were whisked away.

The state Security Adviser, Jerry Omadara, said the state government is monitoring the situation and will comment shortly.

“We are on top of the situation,” he said. “We are still assessing the situation, we will speak about it shortly.”

While the number of persons abducted is unclear, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, said nine students of the school are missing.

“Immediately the report was received, the Kogi State Governor, His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended,” he said in a statement.

“We wish to assure students, parents, and the entire people of Kogi State that the Government is on top of the situation and all the abducted students will be rescued alive. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the state,” the commissioner added.

“Hundreds of local hunters who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are currently combing the area to ensure safe rescue of the abducted students who were kidnapped in the classrooms. So far, nine students have been reported missing.”

The school authorities are yet to comment on the matter as of the time of this report.