By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
TERRORISTS have invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, Okene, in Kogi State, and herded a yet-to-be ascertained number of students into the forest.
The invasion occurred around 9:00 p.m on Thursday, when students were studying ahead of their first semester exams scheduled to commence on Monday, May 13.
The gunmen were said to have entered the classrooms on Thursday night and started shooting sporadically into the air before whisking away a number of students.
Witness said the bandits entered the university through the bush and made their way to three lecture halls, trapping the students before grabbing and dragging them into the woods.
The attack has caused widespread panic, with students in other halls fleeing in various directions to safety.
Local security guards and conventional security personnel at the gate reportedly engaged the bandits, minimizing the damage and preventing them from advancing beyond the first three halls.
A student who wished to remain anonymous recounted how he and some colleagues took cover in the bush for over an hour before venturing out when the situation became calm.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, also said nine students of the school were missing.
“Immediately the report was received, the Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended,” he said in a statement.
“We wish to assure students, parents, and the entire people of Kogi State that the Government is on top of the situation and all the abducted students will be rescued alive.
“Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the state,” the commissioner added.
“Hundreds of local hunters, who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are currently combing the area to ensure safe rescue of the abducted students who were kidnapped in the classrooms. So far, nine students have been reported missing.”
The school authorities are yet to comment on the matter as of the time of this report.
The Kogi varsity attack adds to the growing list of assaults on schools across the country by mindless, voracious bandits.
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