Bandits launched an attack on Thursday night at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) in Osara, Okene, Kogi State, kidnapping several students. An eyewitness reported that the gunmen arrived around 9:00 p.m. while students were studying for upcoming exams.
According to the witness, the bandits entered the university through the bush, entered three lecture halls, and fired shots into the air. They trapped students inside these halls and began abducting them, causing chaos and panic among the student body.
Local security guards and conventional security personnel engaged the bandits, managing to limit the attack to the first three halls. However, some students were still abducted before the attackers could be repelled.
The incident occurred as students were preparing for their first-semester examinations scheduled to begin on Monday, May 13.
A student, speaking anonymously, mentioned that he and his peers sought refuge in the bush for over an hour before feeling safe enough to come out.
When contacted, the Vice Chancellor of CUSTEC, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but declined to provide further details on the number of abducted students.
“I don’t speak to journalists about incidents like this, but rest assured, we are handling the situation,” he stated.
Efforts to reach the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bethrand Onuoha, were unsuccessful. Similarly, retired Cdre Jerry Omodara, the State Security Adviser, could not be reached for comment.
