Abbas Laments Abduction of Five Katsina Varsity Female Students, Others by Terrorists

•Police arrest one suspect 

•Vow to rescue victims unhurt

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has decried the resurgence of abductions of students at tertiary institutions by bandits in the north-west region of Nigeria.

No fewer than five female students of the Federal University, Dutsin-ma (FUDMA), Katsina State, were abducted by gunmen suspected to be terrorists in the wee hours of Wednesday.

This comes few days after armed bandits invaded three female hostels at the Sabon Gida area of Zamfara State and abducted an unspecified number of female students at the Federal University, Gusau (FUG).

A credible security source who confirmed the abduction of the students in Katsina, in a telephone interview with THISDAY, said the students were kidnapped by the hoodlums at about 2:30 am.

He explained that the victims were kidnapped by the unlawful forces in their residence located behind Mariamoh Ajiri Memorial International School, Dutsin-ma.

“Bandits attacked a residence of students behind Mariamoh Ajiri school in the early hours of today (Wednesday) and kidnapped five female students of Federal University Dutsin-Ma”, he said.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Aliyu Sadiq, while confirming the abduction of the students, said one suspect had been arrested in connection with the incident.

He said the command had deployed all its tactical and operational assets with a view to rescuing the victims unhurt and arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

He said: “On October 4, 2023, at about 2 a.m., suspected terrorists kidnapped five female students of the federal university Dutsinma.

“The command is on top of the situation, as it has deployed all its tactical and operational assets with a view to rescuing the victims unhurt and arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

He added that: “One suspect has been arrested in connection with the offence. The investigation is ongoing.”

Reacting to the development, the Speaker raised concern over the development.

The Speaker, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, called on security agencies to rescue the abducted students and prevent any recurrence, noting that the students’ abductions posed serious threats to education in the north as well as anywhere else in the country.

The Speaker who expressed the disturbing nature of the ugly trend, therefore charged the military and relevant security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, rejig their architecture and approaches to ensure security of all Nigerians.

He also called on the host communities of tertiary institutions to help security agents by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious movement in their areas.