UNKNOWN gunmen have kidnapped three students from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.
Spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command Anene Sewuese confirmed the incident to The ICIR during a telephone interview on Monday.
According to Sewuese, the Police received information that the gunmen kidnapped the three students within the school premises around 10:20 pm on Saturday.
Sewuese said Benue State commissioner of police had ordered a full-scale investigation into the case.
The management of the university said it had reported all incidents to the Police and relevant security agencies.
The university’s Director of Information, Protocol and Public Relations Unit (IPPR) Rosemary Waku, in a statement, said there had not been “any communication from the students or their captors since the unfortunate incidence took place.”
The Nigerian educational system has been under severe attack, most especially in the northern part of the country. A few days ago, three of the 25 students kidnapped from Green Field University in Kaduna state were found dead.
Before the Green Field University abduction, 39 students had been kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Kaduna State.
The abduction and kidnap of students in Nigeria have expanded from secondary schools to tertiary institutions. In 2021, more than 400 Nigerian students have either been kidnapped or abducted by ‘unknown gunmen.’
While most of them have not been rescued or recovered by security agencies in Nigeria, the state of insecurity in Nigeria has worsened in the past months.
In some parts of Nigeria, security operatives are being attacked, insurgents are taking over communities, civilians are being targeted and attacked as the insecurity lingers.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94