Bandits have reportedly kidnapped no fewer than 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, travelling to Oke-Ogun in Oyo State, killing the driver of the chartered bus conveying them, Sulaiman Sekoni Al-liaman
The incident, which occurred within the past 48 hours, was said to have happened along the route to Oyo State, with the abductors reportedly moving the victims towards the Mokwa axis.
An Oke-Ogun youth leader, who confirmed the incident on condition of anonymity, said the victims were students of Gamji College of Health Technology and not students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, as earlier reported.
He said the students were travelling in a chartered bus arranged by their institution to convey them to their respective hometowns in Oyo State, with Igboho in Oke-Ogun as their destination.
“Sadly, the unfortunate incident is being confirmed by me because I’m from Oke-Ogun too, and our people have confirmed that it truly happened in the past 48 hours,” the youth leader said.
He added, “But it wasn’t a bus conveying UDUS students. It was a bus taking students from Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, to Oke-Ogun, Igboho to be precise.”
According to him, the assailants killed the driver before taking the students away.
“The driver was killed and all the students were kidnapped. They have reached the Mokwa side,” he said.
The youth leader further disclosed that the remains of the driver had been buried.
“The driver was killed at the scene and his remains were buried on Saturday,” he added.
Other sources familiar with the development put the number of abducted students at about 18, saying the students were intercepted while travelling in the chartered vehicle.
The latest incident has heightened concerns over the safety of students and other commuters travelling across states, particularly along routes where attacks and abductions have been repeatedly reported.
It also comes barely days after about 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps were reportedly abducted by gunmen in Imo State while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The victims were reportedly attacked along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.
Efforts to obtain further information from the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olayinka Ayanlade, proved abortive, as he had not responded to messages sent to him as of the time of filing this report.