A striking video captured by NewsNow reveals the aftermath of a student kidnapping incident at Kogi State University of Science and Technology Osara, (CUSTECH). Personal belongings of students lay scattered across a classroom following an invasion by bandits.
Earlier, NewsNow had detailed the assault on the institution, where an undisclosed number of students were abducted by the bandits around 9 pm on Thursday.
An eyewitness account narrated how the bandits, arriving in large numbers, infiltrated the school premises through a bush path and unleashed gunfire indiscriminately.
According to reports, the school’s local security team engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle lasting more than 30 minutes.
One student who narrowly escaped shared, “The criminals stormed the school at 9 pm, targeting lecture halls where we were attending tutorials ahead of our upcoming first-semester exams.”
“If the school management had heeded students’ requests to open the mini-gate connecting to the main town, the number of abducted students could have been lower,” the student added.
Expressing dismay, the student highlighted the lack of alternative exits as a major concern.
After the confrontation, several students could not be immediately located, with reports indicating that at least 57 students were taken captive and one student sustained gunshot wounds.
Authorities have swiftly mobilized police and other security forces to the school and surrounding community in response to the incident.
In an official statement, Vice Chancellor Professor Abdulraman Asipita assured that the situation was being managed effectively.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer in Kogi State, (PPRO) SP William Ovye Aya, for comment were inconclusive at the time of compiling this report.