Plateau State University was thrown into confusion on Tuesday night as gunmen invaded the university to abduct some female students of the institution, leaving some of the students with injuries.
A source close to the university disclosed that the gunmen stormed the female hostels at about 10:25 p.m. and started shooting indiscriminately but were repelled by local security men, who engaged the gunmen before the arrival of the police and other security agencies.
According to the source, in the melee that ensued, some of the female students sustained injuries while the gunmen were repelled by the local security men and security agencies.
The Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr John Agams, who confirmed the attack, said that the criminals attacked the institution to kidnap students, but they were repelled by the local security men in the university.
“The gunmen indeed attempted to kidnap some of our students, but the attempt was repelled by our local security men. In the process, one student was injured, but no student was abducted.
“The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Benard Matur, is currently on the school premises and appealing to students to be peaceful,” he said.
However, the State Police Command, in a statement signed by its spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, pointed out that men of the command foiled the kidnapping attempts by arriving at the university in the nick of time.
“‘This was made possible as a result of a distress call put forward by the hardworking and security-conscious Vice Chancellor of the University and other good citizens of the State who made several calls to our control rooms, the PPRO, and other senior officers to alert us on the happenings around that area, which aided our quick response to the scene.
“On May 9, 2023, at about 1915 hrs., unknown hoodlums attempted to kidnap some female off-campus students who went out to fetch firewood at a nearby bush when they ran out of cooking gas”.
According to the command, upon receipt of this information, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Bokkos Division, aided by other security operatives, gave a hot chase to the hoodlums, as a result of which they abandoned their evil plans, which aided the escape and rescue of the students unhurt.
The command added that no life was lost and no student was raped, as alleged on social media and some news platforms, adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
The Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, CP Bartholomew N. Onyeka, assured the good citizens of the state that “relentless efforts are ongoing to arrest the hoodlums”.
He, therefore, urges all citizens to go about their lawful businesses and ensure that they give the police and any nearby security agency useful, accurate, and timely information, as the command “is doing everything to ensure that Plateau is safe for both residents and visitors”.
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