Students, lecturers and other staff of higher institutions in Nasarawa State now live in fear as kidnapping for ransom has become a thriving enterprise targeting them. Our correspondent takes a look at the dangerous trend that has become a source of concern within and outside the state.
Gandu and Mararaba communities, which served as off-campus settlements for students of the Federal University, Lafia in Nasarawa State, have come under severe attacks by kidnappers within the last three months.
In what has become a recurring decimal, two state-owned institutions, Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia and Nasarawa State University Keffi (NSUK) have also been experiencing similar attacks within the same period.
The attackers always targeted students and sometimes lecturers whom they released after collecting millions of naira as ransom following negotiations between them and parents of the abducted students or institutions’ authorities.
What teachers, students need to know about Artificial Intelligence
Humble background should not limit your aspirations – Boss Mustapha charges youths
Investigation by Daily Trust indicates that no fewer than 20 students have reportedly been kidnapped from across the three affected institutions from October 10, 2023 till date.
Students of the state varsity abducted and released include Rahila Hanya, a 100-level student of the Science Laboratory Technology; Josephine Gershon, a Computer Science 100-level student; Rosemary Samuel, a 100-level student of Business Administration; and Goodness Samuel, a 100-level student of the Geography.
Lecturers who have fallen victims include Dr. Comfort Adokwe, of the Faculty of Administration of the university, who was kidnapped from her Angwan Jaba residence in Keffi LGA.
She was reportedly released by her abductors after the payment of N5 million ransom.
Also kidnapped and released were Prof. Haruna Ayuba Kuje, a former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, of the institution as well as the wife and daughter of Professor Issac Ogara.
Daily Trust reports that, unlike the incidents at NSUK, some of those at the Federal University, Lafia were deadly.
In one of the recent incidents, a 300-level student of the Department of Sociology of the Federal University, Lafia and also a 400-level student in the Department of Biochemistry were shot when their off-campus residences located in Gandu community were separately attacked.
The duo survived the attack but with injuries.
Unlike them, however, a businessman and mechanic who were shot in the same Gandu community within the same period never lived to tell the tale as they were killed by their attackers.
Our correspondent reports that the late mechanic’s wife and daughter are still in the custody of their abductors.
The December 6, 2023 incident is the highest with eight students kidnapped when gunmen stormed the same Gandu community.
The parents of the affected students recount their ordeals before their children were eventually released after they contributed to pay the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.
The spokesman for the eight parents, Mr. Ibrahim Abdul, explained that it took a week of negotiations and pleadings before the students were released.
He appealed to the federal and state governments to provide counselling and trauma programmes for the victims to enable them to live normal lives and continue with their studies.
“We spent three days in the school. We, the parents put our heads together and contributed money and the money was sent to them on Sunday night and the kidnappers told us to wait that night and later on they called us that they have released our children and we went and picked them.”
Another parent, whose daughter was among the students kidnapped, Mrs Alice Agakwu, said she was hospitalised on hearing about the kidnapping of her daughter, adding that she had to part with her life savings to ensure her release.
“We ended up giving the sum of N500,000 to the kidnappers before they released them,” she lamented.
Another parent, Mallam Hassan, explained that his daughter who is a 100-level student in the Department of Sociology, was yet to regain her full senses psychologically following her experience in the hands of the kidnappers.
“I couldn’t recognise her; they don’t look like human beings. I could not recognise her when we first met after her release. She was looking so dirty and tattered. She was looking so pathetic and she was only crying.”
Narrating her ordeal to our correspondent, one of the victims who is a 100-level medical student lamented that she had lost hope in continuing with schooling.
“We were flogged. The kidnappers soaked gari with dirty water and gave us to take and that is what they have been giving as food for six days we have spent. I am very discouraged and right now I am going to my house. I am leaving the school.”
Findings by our correspondent showed that the owner of a guest house around the university, who escaped when the kidnappers struck, was also made to pay ransom after they threatened to go after him.
Worried over the growing insecurity in and around tertiary institutions in the state, Governor Abdullahi Sule, has ordered the deployment of security operatives around all tertiary institutions and their host communities in the state as well as Gandu community. He said his administration placed topmost priority on safeguarding the lives of its citizens.
The governor gave the directive during his recent visit to the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Lafia, Professor Shehu Abdulrahman, over attack on a student settlement by a yet to be identified gunmen.
While sympathising with the management of the institution over the incident, Governor Sule assured all the university management of the state government’s support in tackling the persistent kidnappings in the state.
The vice chancellor, Professor Abdulrahman, sought the assistance of the state government as well as the need for a police outpost to enhance the security of the students and staff of the institution.
He also appealed to security agencies in the state to step up their surveillance in the area to safeguard both the students and the residents of the host community.
Meanwhile, the Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal University of Lafia Mr. Ibrahim Abubakar, said the school had strengthened collaboration with security agencies to address the situation.
The District Head of Gandun community, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, commended the state governor for his prompt action and appealed to the state government to station security operatives along Assakio, Lafia East Development Area in Lafia which he said was the escape route of the kidnappers.
“I am always in fear every day. The spate of kidnappings in this community is giving me sleepless nights. I am not happy over the persistent attacks and snatching of students’ phones. Every day I keep hearing stories of theft.”
He also called on the state government to empower security operatives with adequate logistics to fight the kidnappers, adding that their presence would scare away the kidnappers and other criminal elements that have been causing sleepless nights to the students and residents of the community.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Rahman Nansel, said the command had already stationed its men in the area to maintain law and order and vowed to deal with and arrest anybody caught threatening students and the residents of the community to serve as a deterrent to others.
