By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Kogi Government on Friday 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 invaders had abducted an unspecified number of students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene after storming the institution and trapping the students in their classes.
Nine students were abducted in the invasion.
Mr Kingsley Fanwo, the State Commissioner for Information, 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 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.
An eye witness 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.
The bandits thereafter started grabbing the students trapped inside the three halls.
Recall the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.
Luckily, brave local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, though they were able to abduct some students.
That effort did minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls.
The students were preparing for their first semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.