THE Kogi State Government, on Friday, May 10, deployed security operatives and hundreds of local hunters to comb the bushes and forests in search of bandits who invaded and abducted students of the state-owned university on Thursday night, May 9.
The invaders had abducted an unspecified number of students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene after storming the institution around 9p.m., and trapping them in their classes, where they had gone to study for their forthcoming semester examinations billed to commence on Monday, May 13.
At least nine of them were known to have been abducted during the attack.
Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, told journalists in Lokoja, the state capital, that the combined effort was to rescue the abducted students, adding: “Hundreds of local hunters, who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are combing the area to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students who were kidnapped from their classrooms.
“So far, nine students have been reported missing and we hope to rescue them as soon as possible.
“We wish to assure students, parents and the entire people of Kogi that the government is on top of the situation and all the abducted students will be rescued alive.
“Governor Usman Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the State.”
Fanwo commended the local hunters and other security agents who rose to engage the kidnappers on the night of the invasion, saying their gallantry and dedication ensured that the kidnappers did not have a field day.
He said the state government would spare nothing in ensuring that all the abducted students were safely rescued and reunited with their families, adding: “We won’t submit to terror. We shall prevail, by God’s grace.”
They attackers were said to have come in through the bush and went into three lecture halls, shooting into the air to scare the students, some of who they grabbed in the confusion, even as the fear-stricken students in other halls ran in different directions for safety.
The bandits were confronted by local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate, but they managed to retreat into the bush with some abducted students, as they could not go beyond the first three halls.
