Eyewitness recounts how bandits stormed, abducted Confluence University students

Bandits have kidnapped some students from the Confluence University of Science and Technology, CUSTEC, Osara, Okene in Kogi State.

An eyewitness who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria said the bandits went to the university around around 9:00 pm while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.

The witness indicated that the bandits came through the nearby bush and went straight to the lecture halls amid gun fire.

“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them; the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.

“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abductiing some students.

“But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.

According to the source, the students were preparing for their first semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.

A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for “more than an hour”.

“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.

When contacted, CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.

“I don’t talk to journalists about incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.