The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the kidnap of some students from the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, in Benue state, from the school premises.
The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, who spoke to journalists, in her office at the command headquarters, said three students were kidnapped.
According to her, the incident happened at about 10:20 p.m last Saturday.
Anene told journalists that “Information had been received from the school authority that on the 24th of April, 2021, that at about 10:20 pm, some unknown persons came to the school premises and kidnapped three of their students who were studying close to a lecture hall.
“We have received that information and we are on it and I know that we are very close.
“For now, my advice is that members of the public should remain calm. We will continue to do our best and ensure we get to the root and apprehend the perpetrators of this crime.
“I assure the parents of the students that we are doing our best to ensure that they get back their children, so they should not be tensed,” she said.
Meanwhile, The Next Edition gathered that unknown gunmen stormed the University last Saturday and abducted about six student after which they freed one and one escaped.
A student (eyewitness), who didn’t want to be named told our correspondent that the incident took place at North Campus, outside the Engineering lecture hall.
According to him, the kidnappers, who were heavily armed, came on foot and took their victims through a bush path.
“I was in the hall when it happened. It was in the night around 11p.m. We have just finished our convocation and I had a lot of things to do. So I went to North Corp to read at the old auditorium Engineering hall. I was still arranging my books when I heard a cock of the gun outside the hall.
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“And swiftly, a commando style, they took two student who were in a vehicle; their vehicle is still parked there till now, and four others away into the bush.
“Initially, they took seven students but one guy was in white and they told him to go back that he can be easily traced, so he came back and one girl managed to escape. It happened so fast and within two to five minutes, they were gone.
Our source said after the incident student scampered for safety and have been in fear since then.
He said the school management has suspended lectures and were yet to address them as at the time of writing this report.
The school management has also confirmed the incident but was quiet on the number and identity of students kidnapped.
