The Police Command in Benue has confirmed the kidnapping of two female students of the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, the state capital.
The police said they were kidnapped last Saturday night.
The police public relations officer, Sewuese Anene, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi yesterday.
Anene said the incident took place on Saturday night at about 11: pm along North Bank/Uniagric Road and not within the university campus.
According to her, the unknown gunmen blocked the road, attacked, and took the victims before the security operatives could arrive at the incident.
“It was in the night when some armed men came out, attacked and took them away before the arrival of the Police.”
She said the attackers took the car and all the occupants away.
Anene said both the family and the university had notified the Command, and an investigation into the matter was ongoing.
NAN’s investigation revealed that one of the students was in the Department of Biology Education, while details of the other were not yet available.
However, a reliable source from the university told NAN that a man drove into the campus on Saturday, picked the students, and while driving into the North Bank town, picked another lady before they were attacked.
The source further said that he initially thought it was an armed robbery until the kidnappers contacted the family of the students.
All efforts to speak to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Itodo, and the university’s information unit proved abortive. They did not answer calls or reply to text messages.
