Two Federal Varsity Students Abducted By Gunmen In Taraba

Two students from Federal University Wukari in Taraba State were kidnapped by gunmen.

The gunmen were active for nearly an hour on Monday night, firing shots randomly and causing injuries to several other students. Surprisingly, despite a checkpoint just a few meters away, security agencies did not intervene.

A resident, Moses Tapwa, was lucky to have escaped, but two of his staff, who are students of the institution, were not lucky.

The two students abducted were identified as Joshua Sardauna from the Economics Department and Obianu Elizabeth from the Microbiology Department.

The authorities of the school said they were aware of the incident and have commenced efforts to ensure safe release of the students.

A spokesperson for the institution, Ashu Agya, disclosed that nine suspected kidnappers were apprehended inside the bush by youths of the community shortly after the incident and they have been handed over to the police for interrogation.

The institution appealed to the federal and state governments as well as philanthropists to assist in building hostels for students and staff within the school premises to avert further occurrence.

The last case of abduction at the institution happened in 2022, which led to the shut down of the institution to douse tension among parents, staff and students of the institution.

The university is located along the ever-busy Wukari, Katsina-Ala Federal Highway, leading to Benue State in the north-central geopolitical zone of the country.

The official report has it that about 90 percent of the students and staff of the institution reside outside the school premises.