No fewer than six Nigerian Law School students have reportedly been abducted by suspected gunmen while traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
According to PUNCH Online, the incident occurred late Saturday, July 26, as the students were returning to the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School, which is scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 28, following their court externship break.
A fellow student at the Yola campus, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the incident via a phone call on Sunday, stating, “Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected armed bandits while travelling to resume school after their court externship break.”
He also identified some of the missing students as “Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.”
Reports indicate that the abduction occurred along a route between Wukari in Taraba State and a part of Benue State, an area notorious for insecurity and frequent attacks on travelers.
A student leader at the Yola campus, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, disclosed that the incident had been reported to law enforcement authorities. “We are currently in Yola. We have contacted the Adamawa Police Command. We are just waiting for more updates from them. We haven’t got any concrete information yet,” the student said.
When contacted, the Adamawa State Police Command spokesperson, Yahaya Suleiman, confirmed awareness of the incident but clarified that it did not take place within Adamawa’s jurisdiction. “The abduction did not occur inside Adamawa State. I would encourage you to contact the Benue State Police Command for more details,” he said.
He further assured that efforts were ongoing, stating that “the command is collaborating with officers and men of the Benue State Police Command to ensure these students are rescued.”
Attempts to reach Anene Catherine, spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report, as calls and messages to her phone went unanswered.