Bandits on Thursday night invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene in Kogi, and abducted some students.
An eyewitness account indicated that the bandits swooped on the university around 9.00 p.m. while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.
The source said that the bandits came in through the bush, went into three lecture halls and began to shoot into the air to scare the students.
“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them; the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.
“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students.
“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.
According to the source, the students were preparing for their first-semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.
A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for “more than an hour.
“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.
Commenting on the incident, the Kogi state government on Friday said it has deployed security operatives and hundreds of local hunters into the bush on the trail of bandits that invaded and abducted university students Thursday night.
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Mr Kingsley Fanwo told newsmen in Lokoja that the combined effort is to rescue the abducted students.
He said: “Hundreds of local hunters, who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are currently 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.
“Gov Usman Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the State,” he said.
The commissioner commended the local hunters and other security agents who rose stoutly to engage the kidnappers on the night of the invasion.
According to him, their gallantry and dedication ensured that the kidnappers did not have a field day.
Fanwo said that the Kogi state government would spare nothing toward ensuring that all the students abducted were safely rescued and reunited with their families.
“We won’t submit to terror. We shall prevail by God’s grace,” he said.
NAN
