Hamidat Ayomide KelaniThere was tension as gunmen stormed a hostel at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and kidnapped three students including a female.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Irene Ugbo, gave confirmation said the students were taken from one of the university hostels on campus on Thursday night.
Ms Ugbo, a superintendent of the police who did not providing specific details about the incident, Ugbo mentioned that the police were collaborating with other agencies to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students.
According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened on 29 March 2024 when gun-toting men stormed Freedom Hostel, owned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at about 7:00pm and whisked the victims away to an unknown destination.
One of the witnesses, Emmanuel Effiom described the abduction as very brazen and terrifying
He further said: “Most of us even thought they were security personnel. They applied force when one of the guys resisted.
The police quoted an anonymous source to have revealed the names of the abducted students, including Ojang Precious Ebejin, a 200-level student in the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, a 300-level student in the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, and Damilola Dickson, a final-year student in the same department
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof Florence Banku Obi confirmed the development.
Students are often abducted by violent criminals essentially for ransom purposes from the families of the abductees and the government.
Although the crime is nationwide, it’s more prevalent in the northern part of the country, where several abductions have happened, including very recently in Kaduna.
