GUNMEN have kidnapped over 20 medical and dental students in Benue State.
A house officer was also among those kidnapped.
The students who are from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos were travelling to Enugu for the annual meeting of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) before they were ambushed by gunmen around 5:30 p.m. in the Otukpo area of the state.
Confirming the incident to The ICIR in a chat on Friday, August 16, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Catherine Anene, said an investigation had been launched into the abduction.
“A report was received that about 20 medical students from Jos were on their way from Jos to Enugu for a conference and were kidnapped after Otukpo. An investigation is ongoing,” she stated.
Reacting to the development, an X user with the handle, @__Inyene wrote, “We are living in a country where nobody is shocked when people get kidnapped. Over 20+ medical and dental doctors/students were kidnapped, but the country is moving on. Just another day. Yet some ministers are talking about economics. Wicked people.”
Another X user @Medzonetv posted, “Please, let’s pray for the safe release of our colleagues from Jos and Maiduguri, who were kidnapped in Benue State yesterday. Twenty of our colleagues – 1 house officer and 19 students – were kidnapped. Please include them in your prayers and daily supplications when you pray today.”
An X account, @Nigerian_Doctor, that draws attention to medical problems in Nigeria also shared the information and appealed to security agencies to take immediate action to save the students and alleviate the suffering of their relatives.
Benue has been one of the epicentres of conflict and insecurity in Nigeria in recent years.
While armed herdsmen are on the rampage in one part of the state, local bandits are wreaking havoc in the other.
Just last week, gunmen reportedly killed many residents of the Ayati community in the Ukum Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
According to reports, not less than 50 people were killed in the attack on Thursday, August 8.
Confirming the incident in a chat with The ICIR on Friday, August 9, a leader in the community, Shima Ayati, said that over 50 corpses were recovered from the village as of Friday morning.
He blamed the state local security unit, Benue Community Volunteer Guards, for leaving the residents unprotected after starting a fight with ‘herders’.
He added that some victims with serious injuries were taken to the hospital for medical attention.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance