On Thursday evening, some students were kidnapped by bandits who broke into the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) in Osara, Okene, Kogi.
According to an eyewitness, the robbers ambushed the university at approximately 9:00 p.m. while the students were preparing for their impending exams.
According to the report, the bandits entered via the woods, entered three lecture halls, and then started firing into the air.
“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 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.
CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.
“I don’t talk to journalists on incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.
Efforts to reach the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, were unsuccessful.
Retired Cdre Jerry Omodara, State Security Adviser, could not be reached for comments, as calls to his line were not picked up or returned.
