The school’s front gate. Photo: Facebook/ Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH)
Some of the abducted students of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogi State, have been rescued, the state government has confirmed.
In a statement on Sunday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, said the students were rescued safely by local hunters and other security agents.
He did not disclose the exact number of students rescued but the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Williams Aya, told our correspondent via text message that 14 students were rescued.
The Commissioner said that the local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout and the kidnappers succumbed to superior firepower and escaped with gun wounds.
According to him, the kidnappers left the kidnapped students who also ran in different directions to avoid being caught in the fire exchange.
He also disclosed that the rescued students and many other kidnapped victims have been taken to a medical facility for proper attention.
Fanwo said that security agents are currently combing the forests to ensure all the students still in captivity are found and brought home safely.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner stated that in the sporadic gun battle to rescue the students, a local hunter and a DSS operative sustained injuries but they are currently receiving medical attention.
“We commend our local hunters and all the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry. Of special commendation is the DSS for acting on credible intelligence to coordinate a fearless confrontation on the outlaws.
“The security agencies have once again demonstrated why Kogi State will remain an uncomfortable place for bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.
“The success recorded so far is a clear testament of the readiness of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to ensure adequate and uncompromising security for the people of Kogi State.
“We urge residents to report anyone with gun wounds found in their communities to law enforcement agents,” the statement read in part.
The students who were abducted on Friday were said to be in the class to read in preparation for the first-semester examination scheduled for Monday, May 13 when the kidnappers struck.
The gunmen were said to have entered the classrooms on Thursday night and started shooting sporadically into the air while an unspecified number of students were whisked away.
However, in an earlier statement on Friday, Fanwo had put the number of missing students at nine.