Six more abducted students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, CUSTECH, Osara have been rescued from their kidnappers, according to the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, on Tuesday.
With this latest development, this brings the number of abducted students rescued to 20, according to the Commissioner.
According to the data available to the State Government, there are four students yet to be released.
This news is coming after the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya had in a statement released on Monday, announced the release of 14 students who were abducted by gunmen in Osara last week.
Meanwhile, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alh Ahmed Usman Ododo has shown deep appreciation to the Joint Forces, encouraging them to continue the search until the last student is released.
What They’re Saying:
The statement by SP William Ovye Aya partly read:
“The fierce gun battle between security agents and the kidnappers forced the kidnappers to succumb to superior firepower and abandon the kidnapped students. Some of the kidnappers escaped with severe injuries.
“Nine students had been rescued first while five others were found the following morning. The families of the six students just rescued have confirmed that the students have arrived home.”
“We wish to assure the public that the security architecture around our schools has been recalibrated for efficiency and early warning alarm to prevent future occurrence”.
Why It Matters
This news shows that more students who were kidnapped have been rescued, bringing the total number of rescued students to 20 out of those who were abducted.
While this is good news, four students are still unaccounted for. Luckily, the police and state government have expressed their commitment to finding them. The police officials have also re-assured the public that they were improving security around schools to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Bottom Line
While progress has been made in rescuing abducted students, there are still lingering concerns about the safety of educational institutions in Nigeria. The ongoing efforts of security forces and the government are crucial in ensuring the safe return of all the abducted students and implementing measures to prevent future kidnappings.
