On October 10, 2023, four female students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, were kidnapped in the Angwan Kare area, just after the Benue Cement Company (BCG). The incident, which occurred at about 10.30 pm, left the community in shock and grief.
The abducted students were identified as Rahila Hanya, 100 level student of School of Life Sciences and Technology (SLT); Josephine Gershon, 100 level, Computer Science Department; Rosemary Samuel, 100 level, Department of Business Administration, Goodness Samuel, 100 level, Department of Geography.
Sen. S. J. Timmy, the Senate Chairman on Security for the Nasarawa State University Students’ Union Government (NSUK SUG), stated: “Law enforcement agencies have been alerted, and a comprehensive search and rescue operation is underway to locate and rescue the abducted students.
“The university community, local authorities and concerned citizens are coming together to support efforts to bring these students back safely.”
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Nansel Ramhan, who confirmed the incident, said the police were alerted to the situation at approximately 12:55 am, when a distress call was received regarding an invasion of a house in Angwan Kare, Keffi, by unidentified armed men.
“In response to the alarming situation, law enforcement agencies swiftly mobilized with the police collaborating closely with the military.
“A comprehensive search and rescue operation were initiated, but regrettably, as of now, the whereabouts of the kidnapped students remain unknown,” the police image maker volunteered.
Similarly, last Wednesday, October 3, 2023, the Katsina State Police Command confirmed the kidnap of five female students of the Federal University, Dutsinma. The spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed the incident and the arrest of one suspect.
“Yes, the incident happened. An arrest has been made. I cannot say anything more than that for now as I am on my way to the institution. Our men are already on the ground there and are on top of the situation,” he said.
It was gathered that the criminals invaded the private residence of the victims around 2am on the fateful Wednesday, shooting indiscriminately. According to the vice chancellor of the university, Armaya’u Bichi, the terrorists who abducted five students of the Federal University, Dutsinma, were avenging an attack on the relatives of some members of their gang by security operatives.
He disclosed in an interview with DW Hausa that the abductors revealed the reason for kidnapping the students during a negotiation for the release of the students.
He said: “Discussions are ongoing with them (terrorists). Security agencies in the state are doing their best (to rescue the students). They (terrorists) have spoken and they said it was a revenge for an attack on their (terrorists) parents in Batsari Local Government. Houses belonging to their parents were burnt down and their cattle as well as grains taken away.
“They wanted to avenge the attack in Batsari but another terror group leader was not in support of their actions and he stopped them so they came to Dutsin Ma to take the revenge.
“But they (terrorists) have been told the truth that the people of Dutsin Ma and the students have done nothing wrong to them so they should release the abducted students. We believe that by God’s grace, they’ll release them.”
Maintaining that the students were warned to stop living in some areas of the town due to their vulnerability to attacks, he said: “Our university is fenced. We’ve also dug trenches around the wall. When I was appointed VC, I wrote to the commander in Katsina to give us soldiers and 30 have been sent to us. We also have 30 policemen. We’ve also hired about 60 vigilante group members who conduct patrol at night.
“We’ve an area where we advised that students should live (off campus) but these ones live about two kilometres from where we asked them to live.”
Few weeks ago, the police in Ekiti State declared that they have initiated search efforts for a missing 23-year-old 500-level student of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Helen Eberechukwu Okorie. Police public relations officer in the state, Sunday Abutu, disclosed that the female student, resident at the Irona area of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, had been missing since September 13, 2023.
The statement released by Abutu in Ado Ekiti titled, “Missing person”, reads in part: “This is to inform members of the public that one Helen Eberechukwu Okorie of No.15, Ayoba Quarters, Behind Sadiat Hotel, Irona Area, Ado Ekiti, left home on 13th September, 2023 at about 8am to an unknown destination and never returned.
“She is 23-year-old, chocolate in complexion, speaks English and lgbo languages fluently and has no tribal mark. She is a 500 level student of Ekiti State University.
“While the Command has commenced investigation to unravel her whereabouts, anyone with useful information concerning her present location should kindly contact the nearest Police Station or call 09064050086.”
While Helen is still missing, the body of a 100 level student of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Atanda Modupe Deborah, was found two days after she went missing.
Her body was found buried in a shallow grave while her eyes were reportedly missing. Deborah, a student of Nursing Department, Stream A, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, went missing after she had gone to study in a class on Monday night, September 4, 2023.
Her roommates declared her missing when she did not return to her room. But her body was found buried in a shallow grave behind her faculty with her eyes plucked out.
Reacting to this incident in a statement, the Registrar of the University, Mufutau Ibrahim, ordered all students to vacate the campuses.
The university management stated further that armed security personnel have been quickly deployed for patrol, surveillance and security purposes, and that several arrests have been made
“The University Management has received a report on the case of Ms Modupe Deborah Atanda who was reported missing as at Wednesday, 6th September 2023; and Management is saddened at the current turn of events,” the statement read.
“It is pertinent to promptly inform the entire University community that immediate steps have been taken in this regard, as all national security personnel have been drafted to handle the situation. As a matter of fact, several arrests have been made of suspects.
“To this end, all students (Stream A and any other full-time student still on any of the University’s campuses) are hereby directed to vacate the premises with immediate effect to ensure a proper, holistic and unimpeded thorough investigation, please.
“It is worthy of note that armed security personnel have been quickly deployed for patrol, surveillance and security purposes.
“Rest assured that all steps would be taken by the University to fish out any and all culpable persons; and they shall face the full and unmitigated consequences of their action(s)
“A new resumption date for all students would be conveyed accordingly. We sincerely regret any inconveniences these may have.
The Registrar of the university also released another statement confirming Deborah’s death.
His words: “It will be recalled that earlier today, the management had made public the disturbing development of the missing of the deceased and assured that investigation was ongoing as to unravel the whereabouts of the poor students.
“But current information reaching the security outfit of the university has disclosed that the said student is dead.
“While the university management condoles with the deceased family and the generality of the university community, particularly our dear students, the management reiterated that investigation is still ongoing and this is being done in collaboration with national security agencies to get to the root of the sad development and bring to book the culprits.
“We, therefore, appeal to students and all other stakeholders to remain calm,” the statement.
Indeed, many female students have gone through hell in their quest for education. While some died or were maimed, the fate of others is hard to describe. The most notorious raid on Nigerian school girls happened on April 14, 2014. That day, over 276 female students 16 and 18 were kidnapped by Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.
About 57 of the schoolgirls managed to escape by jumping from the trucks on which they were being transported. Others have been rescued by the Nigerian Armed Forces on various occasions. Amina Ali, one of the missing girls, was found in May 2016. As of April 14, 2021, seven years after the initial kidnapping, over 100 of the girls remain missing.
Encounter with Chibok girls
In November 2022, this reporter met some of the Chibok girls who were rescued by soldiers or who managed to escape after some years in captivity. Narrating her experience to the reporter in Maiduguri, the capital of Bornu State, Rejoice Sanki said life had been miserable, repulsive and agonising. Rejoice said that growing up, she wanted to be a medical doctor. According to her, she loved the profession so much because it would give her the opportunity to help her fellow human beings when they have health challenges.
So, to be able to achieve her dream, she was studious. She rejoiced during school hours, enjoying her books. Then something happened and it changed the course of her life completely. She went through the valley of the shadow of death, but fortunately she has the good fortune of being alive to tell her story.
Like the other girls, she was in the dormitory when the evil men came and bundled them into their truck. Inside the forest, her innocence was stolen. She was violated endlessly. She was forcefully married by a Boko Haram fighter named Musa and before she was rescued by the Nigerian military recently, she had given birth to two children for Musa inside the bush. According to her, although she didn’t like what happened to her and how she was forcefully married by a man she did not know, she loves her two children without measure.
Asked if she had ever contemplated abandoning or doing any harm to the children, she said no.
“The children are mine; they are my blood. I love them so much,” she said.
Rejoice further disclosed that Musa treated her nicely in the bush.
“He did not beat me, he was giving me food. He was nice to me in the bush,” she said.
She, however, added that she wouldn’t want to meet Musa again. She said she married Musa because she had no choice.
“If you don’t obey whatever they tell you, they will do whatever they like to you,” she said.
One other thing she regrets is that she was forced to convert to Islam by the insurgents. Rejoice said that although the Borno State government has been taking care of her for one year, she wanted to go back home because there is no place like home. She said she was happy in Chibok before the evil men came into the picture. She further said that her dream of becoming a doctor has not died. “I still want to go to school,” she said. Twenty-four-year old Ruth Bitrus, who had one child in captivity, also adores her baby.
“I love my baby,” she said.
Similarly, Asabe Ali, 24, who was married to Mohamed Abu and had one child for him, remains a doting mother. She loves her child but is not missing the father. Asabe told the reporter that she was looking for help from government so that she can fend for her baby, who was one year and four months old.
Abduction of Dapchi Schoolgirls
Barely four years after the attack on Chibok, the insurgents kidnapped 110 girls from Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State on Monday, February 19, 2018. During the attack, five girls died. Others were released on March 21, 2018 by their abductors after government reportedly paid a hefty ransom. Unfortunately, the only Christian among them, Leah Sharibu, is still in captivity. February 17, 2021: Bandits abduct another 41 in Kagara, Niger State
On Friday, February’s 26, 2021, 317 female students were kidnapped from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe in Jangebe, Zamfara State.