The Students’ Union Government of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has called for an immediate clarification on the reported rescue of corps members kidnapped in Kogi State.
The union, in a statement issued on Monday through its X account, said uncertainty surrounding the condition of the abducted corps members had heightened anxiety among their relatives.
It said while the reported rescue of some of the victims was welcome, there was a need for security authorities to give the public accurate details about those who had been released and those still missing.
“Reports from the Kogi State Police Command stated that 11 victims were rescued, while efforts were still ongoing to locate those who remained in captivity.
“However, families of some of the victims continue to raise concerns over the status of their loved ones,” the statement said.
The SUG further expressed concern over reports that families of some victims were being asked to pay N20m per person for their release.
One of the corps members reportedly affected is Adedolapo, a graduate of FUNAAB’s College of Animal Resources Management and Animal Production.
The students’ union said confirmation of the reported rescue should go beyond official announcements, stressing the importance of identifying those freed and providing evidence of their safe return.
“If the 11 victims reported as rescued have indeed been safely released, we need clear confirmation. We need to see them. We need to know their names, their actual number, and receive verifiable evidence of their safe return,” the union said.
It appealed to government agencies and media organisations reporting the incident to establish the true situation and communicate it clearly to the affected families.
“We therefore call on the relevant authorities and media organisations that have published these reports to do the needful, verify the situation properly and give Nigerians the accurate status of every victim.
“We will not stop asking questions. We will not stop amplifying the voices of the affected families. And we will not allow conflicting information to make the situation disappear.
“We need clarity. We need answers. We need our people safely back home,” it said.
The development followed an earlier appeal by Chidinma, the sister of one of the missing corps members, who called on the Federal Government and security agencies to step up efforts to rescue the victims.
Chidinma said the family was already grieving the death of their mother and feared losing another member of the family.
She alleged in an Instagram Story on Saturday that the abducted corps members remained in the forest and that their families were being confronted with ransom demands beyond their financial capacity.
“My sister was taken away on Wednesday and other corps members. They are not doing anything. They keep telling us that they are on it.
“Those children are in the forest suffering, the kidnappers kept asking for what we cannot afford. Government should take this matter up because those children are still government property,” she said.
She also challenged reports claiming that some of the victims had been released, maintaining that her sister was still in captivity.
“I heard some bloggers said they rescued some. They did not rescue anybody. My sister will not go like that, we just lost our mum few months back, and now my sister. Nigerians should come to our rescue,” she said.
Chidinma had earlier called for intervention from the government, police, NYSC and Nigerians over the incident.
She explained that her sister had attended the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State before receiving a posting to Niger State for her primary assignment.
According to her, the corps member was travelling towards Abuja from Bayelsa when the vehicle she was in came under attack.
“She went to Bayelsa for her three-week camp. After the camp she was posted to Niger. On her way coming back from Bayelsa to Abuja, she was coming back to spend the day in Abuja.
“So the next day when she’s done with all the hosting, she’ll go to Niger State to report for her PPA. On her way coming back, kidnappers attacked her. The driver was killed.
“My sister and the rest of the corps members were taken to the bush. Up till now, we have not heard anything. The police are not giving us any positive feedback,” she said.
However, the Kogi State Police Command has maintained that 11 victims were rescued following the attack.
The incident happened along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area last Wednesday after armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and intercepted two buses.
Police spokesperson, Salisu Oyiza Afusat, said a joint security operation was launched after the Divisional Police Officer in Ofu received a distress call.
Two vehicles abandoned at the scene, including a Peace Mass Transit bus and a yellow 18-seater bus, were recovered by the security team.
Afusat said, “At about 1640hrs, armed hoodlums emerged from the bush around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions and abducted some passengers, while others escaped into the surrounding bush.”
She said 11 people, including the drivers of the two buses, were subsequently rescued during the operation.
“Preliminary debriefing indicates that most of the rescued victims are NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja,” she said.
According to the police, the rescued victims underwent debriefing and were later allowed to proceed with their journey.
The security operation, however, remains ongoing in the forest as authorities continue efforts to locate anyone still being held and arrest those behind the abduction.
The command said it was deploying available intelligence and operational resources to secure the area and ensure the safe recovery of any remaining victims.
