May 12, (THEWILL)- At least 14 abducted students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, have regained freedom from their abductors.
Spokesperson of the Kogi State Police Command, SP Williams Aya, confirmed the development to newsmen on Sunday.
“A combined team of security operatives, including local hunters, who ran after the bandits, successfully rescued 14 of the kidnapped students. One of the rescued students told us that 24 students were captured. The security operatives will not relent. We are determined to get the remaining students back alive and unhurt,” Aya said.
THEWILL had reported that suspected bandits, on Thursday night, invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology in Osara and abducted an unspecified number of students.
Kogi Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement on Sunday, said they were rescued by combined security officials, including local hunters and security agencies.
“The students were rescued safely,” Fanwo confirmed, adding that the rescue team encountered the kidnappers in a “fierce shootout” which ended when the overpowered kidnappers fled with injuries.
Describing the ordeal, the Commissioner explained that the kidnappers abandoned the students amidst the chaos, who then scrambled to safety.
“Our local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout and the kidnappers fled. Some escaped with gun wounds. They fled and left the kidnapped students who also ran in different directions to avoid being caught up in the fire exchange.
“Many of the students kidnapped, and even other people in captivity, have been rescued and taken to medical facilities for proper attention. Some were rescued in the early hours of today.
“The security agents are currently combing the forests to ensure that all the kidnapped students are found and brought home safely. It is unfortunate, however, that in the sporadic gun battle to rescue the students, a local hunter and a security operative sustained injuries. They are currently receiving medical attention,” he said.
The Commissioner, however, commended the local hunters and the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry.
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