At least two students of Joseph Saawuaan Tarka Federal University, Makurdi, formerly the Federal University of Agriculture, were abducted from campus on Tuesday, February 25, by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
The Benue State Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Sewuese Anene, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with The ICIR, noting that a team of investigators had been mobilised to the scene.
She also noted that a detailed update about the abduction would be provided in due course.
”Yesterday, we received information that two students were kidnapped but I don’t have the details yet. We have sent a team of investigators there to investigate,” she said.
According to reports, the abduction occurred around 8:30 pm on Tuesday, as the students were moving from their hostels to the area designated for reading in the North Core section of the campus.
The incident has sparked protests on campus, with fellow students rallying and marching around the campus with tree branches to demand immediate action from the university authorities.
Meanwhile, the university has yet to officially react to the incident and efforts to seek updates from the university Head of Information, Rosemary Waku, proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
The ICIR reports that 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.
This latest kidnapping adds to a chain of kidnappings in the state. In a similar incident in August 2024, over 20 medical and dental students from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Jos were abducted in the state while en route to Enugu for an annual conference.
The students were subsequently released a few days later. Confirming the release to The ICIR in a chat on Saturday, August 24, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command said the students were rescued on Thursday, August 23.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M