Four students of the Plateau State University, Bokkos, were on Monday kidnapped by gunmen, who attacked their off-campus residence at Ndar community near the campus.
The victims, three females and a male, were, however, rescued a few hours after the incident. It was, however, learnt that one of the students was shot by the gunmen before they fled into the bush.
The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities in the institution, Dr Bentse Pamson, confirmed the kidnap of the students to newsmen in Jos on Tuesday.
He said, “Yes, it is true. Some gunmen kidnapped three of our female students and shot another male student.
“ASUU strongly condemns the incident because the need for the state government to address the security challenge in the university was one of the reasons why the union went on strike recently and it is rather unfortunate that the government has not done anything in that regard despite signing a memorandum of action with the union.”
The Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, on Tuesday said a combined team of security agents carried out the rescue operation of the students.
In a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Macham Makut, the governor said, “On receiving the distress call, officers of the Operation Safe Haven, Operation Rainbow, Nigeria Police, and the University Security and Community Watch Group mobilised and went after the kidnappers, who had taken four students. Facing apparent capture, the criminals aborted their mission and ran away, leading to the safe recovery of the students.”
Lalong, who commended the security agencies for rising up to the occasion and being proactive, directed the immediate establishment of a police post in the host university’s community in order to forestall a reoccurrence.
The governor also directed that security be tightened in all other schools across the state to guarantee the safety of students.
He had last year directed the university’s management to improve security in the institution, which led to the installation of closed circuit television cameras and early warning systems all over the campus as well as the preparation for fencing of the entire campus.
The governor assured the students that all necessary measures would be employed to ensure that they learn and dwell under a peaceful, secure and conducive environment.
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Lalong also appealed to the citizens to assist security agencies with relevant intelligence that would lead to not only the arrest of the fleeing kidnappers, but to the apprehension of all criminal elements bent on disrupting the peace of the state.
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