Tag: abduction

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Rivers police confirm abduction of four varsity students, launch manhunt

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of five students of Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwu, Port Harcourt, by suspected cultists in Emohua Local Government Area.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, the incident occurred on 2 December 2025, at around 2:30 am, when a group of about five suspected cultists attacked an isolated area in Rumuche/Rumuohia Community, Emohua, and abducted the students.

Iringe-Koko noted that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, visited the scene of the incident along with other service commanders for an on-the-spot assessment.

She noted that the CP has mandated the Area Commander, alongside all tactical units and the Joint Taskforce, to intensify efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

“The CP has assured that all suspects involved will be brought to justice and made to face the full wrath of the law. The Police investigation team is working to identify the perpetrators and track down their hideouts.

The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, assuring the public that everything is being done to ensure the safe release of the abducted students,” SP Iringe-Koko stated.

The Police are urging members of the public to remain calm and continue to support the Police with credible information that will aid ongoing investigations.

The abduction has sent panic among students of Rivers State University, who are now living in fear.

However, early Tuesday morning, students of Rivers State University led a procession to protest the alleged abduction of four students.

The students were seen carrying placards and presenting their complaints to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, who quietly listened to them.

They urged the school management to relocate the students on the Emohua campus to the main campus and to expedite measures to secure the release of their course mates.

Addressing the VC, the SOSAN Social Science Student Association of Nigeria representative at the Student Representative Council (SRC), RSU, Mariam Odungweru, said: “Sir, this morning four people were abducted and the guard at the hostel was killed and their automatic rifles carted away.

“Sir, other issues have been happening and I see what you are doing, the efforts you have made to meet the council chairman and other stakeholders, but Sir, my students are pained, they are hungry, they are stressed. This particular issue is holding them; they want to come back to this campus. I was not there during the incident, but it is gory to me. Please, Sir, we need your help.”

In response, the Vice-Chancellor assured that the school management’s priority is to secure students, saying the upcoming convocation slated for the weekend, where the school visitor, being the governor, is coming, will be used as an ample opportunity to let him know the issues confronting the school.

He said: “We are having our convocation on Friday and Saturday and we are very sure that this issue will be raised, discussed, and hopefully addressed. We are expecting the visitor, and I can tell you that there is no way the visitor will see all these things that are happening and not consider your pains. So I want to advise you right now: our priority should be how we can secure these students.

That should be our priority. Let us not dissipate our energy; let us put our energy together. If you have information, share it. Those who can pull out from lectures can do so because there will be no lectures.

“We are going to concentrate efforts in ensuring that we get our students who were kidnapped safely back.” (Guardian)

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Police confirm abduction in Kebbi girls’ school, begin rescue operation

Tension has engulfed the Maga community in Kebbi State after terrorists launched a deadly pre-dawn attack on the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, reportedly abducting 25 students and killing a staff member.

In a statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar Kotarkoshi, the armed attackers, wielding sophisticated weapons, invaded the school at about 4:00 am and opened fire as they forced their way in.

“The police tactical units deployed in the school engaged them in a gun duel,” the PPRO said. “Unfortunately, the suspected bandits had already scaled through the fence of the school and abducted twenty-five students from their hostel to an unknown destination.”

He confirmed that one staff member, Hassan Makuku, was shot dead, while another, Ali Shehu, sustained a gunshot injury to his right hand.

Following the attack, Abubakar said the command swiftly deployed additional police tactical squads alongside military personnel and local vigilantes to track the movement of the terrorists and rescue the abducted girls.

“They are currently combing the bandits’ routes and nearby forests with a view to rescuing the abducted students and possibly arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act,” he said.

He added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Bello M. Sani, had reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.

“The Commissioner reiterates the Command’s unwavering determination to safeguard the people of Kebbi State,” Abubakar stated. “He appeals to the public to remain calm, vigilant, and continue supporting police operations to maintain peace and stability.”

Also confirming the incident, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ahmed Idris, said the state government was closely monitoring developments.

“The exact number of abducted students is still being verified,” Idris told our correspondent.

“The deputy governor, Senator Umar Tafida, has been dispatched to the school to assess the situation on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, who is currently out of the state.”

He assured residents that the government was working hand-in-hand with security agencies to secure the safe return of the students and restore normalcy to the community.

Parents and residents of Maga remain in anguish as they await further updates on the fate of the abducted girls.

In June 2021, bandits abducted some students of Federal Government Girls College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State.

Seven months later in January 2022, the gunmen freed 30 students and a teacher after months of captivity, according to a local official. (Punch)

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Six in police custody for abducting Lagos business partner

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six yet-to-be-identified men for allegedly abducting their business partner in the Lekki area of the state.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, identified by his nickname Senator, was kidnapped and held for three days following a business dispute.

A police source who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday said the arrest was made on Friday morning.

According to the source, a complaint was lodged by the family of the victim over his whereabouts, leading to a search by the police.

The source said, “The victim’s family reported the case of a missing person at the police station. He was said to have stepped out on Tuesday but did not return home. This made the police launch a search for his whereabouts. It was in the process that he was traced through his phone to an apartment in Lekki. A team of detectives was mobilised to the location where he victim was found.”

Another source who was aware of the development but pleaded anonymity told our correspondent on Sunday that the men subjected the victim to maltreatment during his stay in their captivity.

“His phone was seized, and money was withdrawn from his bank account. During interrogation, we discovered that they had transacted some business together, and the outcome of the business did not favour the suspects. Out of frustration, they decided to abduct him as a way of recovering their money,” the source added.

Although the nature of the business was not disclosed, the source, who is also a police officer, said the investigation was ongoing, adding that the suspects would be charged after interrogation.

In a video seen by PUNCH Metro, the suspects were seen being handcuffed after they were rounded up by the detectives.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident.

“I will contact the police division in the area to find out and get back to you,” she added. She had yet to revert to PUNCH Metro as of the time of filing this report

Kidnap-for-ransom cases have been on the rise in the country over the years. Security experts, however, warned that some disputes among business partners now escalate into criminal abductions.

PUNCH Metro reported in August that a 32-year-old painter, Chigozie Clement, was arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly abducting his customer’s seven-year-old son in the Ketu Alapere area of the state.

The suspect allegedly lured the child away from his home and later contacted the victim’s mother to demand a ransom of N7m for the boy’s release.

Detectives later trailed the painter to the Ijegun area of the state, where he was arrested, while the boy was rescued in the process. (Punch)