More kidnapped Kogi varsity students rescued

Kogi State Government, on Tuesday, has disclosed the rescue of six more of the kidnapped students of the Confluence State University of Science and Technology in Osara, Okene.

It said the rescued abducted students were critically injured.

Latest rescue brings number to 20.

The gun-wielding kidnappers had on the night of last Thursday, May 9, invaded the Osara campus of the institution and abducted a yet-to-be-ascertained number of students.

The students were said to be attending a tutorial class in preparation for their first semester examination when the terrorists swooped on them.

On Sunday, the state government and the police announced that 14 of the abducted students were rescued.

The police spokesman, William Aya, said the 14 students were rescued after a gun duel with the kidnappers.

The Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, also, in a statement, said the students were “rescued safely by local hunters and other security agents, hours after the executive Governor of the state, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, visited the institution to assure parents of his commitment to rescuing the students.”

Giving an update on Tuesday, the commissioner, in a statement, said an additional six students had been rescued.

Fanwo said the families of the students had confirmed their safe return home.

He said, “The Kogi State government wishes to announce the rescue of six more students, bringing the number of kidnapped students rescued to 20.

“ Our data show that there are four students yet to be found.

“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.”

He quoted Governor Usman Ododo as expressing deep appreciation to the Joint Forces that carried out the rescue operations, urging them to continue the search until the last student was found.

“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,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State House of Assembly has urged the governor to beef up security around all the tertiary institutions to avert a repeat of the May 9 incident.

The lawmakers gave the charge during Tuesday’s plenary in Lokoja.

The call by the House followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by the Chief Whip and the lawmaker representing Adavi State Constituency, Asema Haruna.

“It is high time we beefed up security around our schools to avert a repetition of what happened in Osara.

“The government should, as a matter of urgency, construct perimeter fencing in all our schools to stop this hoodlums from kidnapping our students. The governor should also motivate our security agencies for their good work in combating insecurities in our dare state,” the lawmaker said.

Supporting the motion, the Minority Leader of the House and member representing Yagba East State Constituency, Idowu Ibikunle, decried the number of students who are still in captivity.

“We are appealing to the Kogi State Government to make a stiffer law against kidnapping. By doing this, whoever is caught in kidnapping will dance to the music,” Ibikunle said.

In his remarks, Aliyu Umar Yusuf, the Speaker of the House, said Governor Ododo had indicated seriousness to make the state safe.

The Speaker added, “We want all the kidnappers to be apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law. Kogi State can never be a breading place for these criminal elements who are enemies of the state,”.