Six more kidnapped students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Kogi have regained their freedom, the Kogi State Government has announced.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo made this known in a statement on Tuesday.
He noted that this brings the number of rescued students to 20.
“Our data shows that there are four students yet to be found,” he added.
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He disclosed that some of the kidnappers escaped with severe injuries during a gun duel with security agents.
“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,” he said.
Last Thursday, gunmen stormed the university at night and kidnapped some students studying for their upcoming exams. The state government subsequently said rescue operations by security agents commenced immediately.
The Kogi varsity attack adds to the growing list of assaults on schools across the country.
Hundreds of students have been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since 2014 when Boko Haram terrorists seized over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok village, a small Christian-dominated community in Borno State.
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In March, hundreds of students were kidnapped when motorcycle-riding gunmen invaded the remote Kuriga School in Kaduna State. They were later rescued in Zamfara state, an enclave notorious for kidnappings more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) away from their school.
While the abductions operated majorly in the North-Western and North-Eastern parts of the country at the onset, the gunmen have shifted attention to other parts of Nigeria, targeting villagers and kidnapping travellers for ransom.
Despite repeated assurances by the Federal Government and security agencies, the miscreants have continued to wreak havoc in several parts of the country.
The situation has led to the demand by many Nigerians and state governors for the creation of state police to nip insecurity in the bud.
