An unconfirmed source reported on Friday that the students of the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, who were abducted by bandits, have been freed.
Earlier, three of the kidnapped students managed to escape and returned to the school under military protection. The source indicated that the rescued students were en route to Gusau, the state capital, with a combined team of security agents.
Additionally, it was revealed that two helicopter jets were deployed to track the bandits as they were moving to their hideout. Upon spotting the helicopters, the bandits abandoned their captives and motorcycles, fleeing into the bush. Despite the absence of an official statement regarding the rescue, the news prompted comments from Facebook users.
The spokesperson of the state police command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed that security agents were dispatched to the forest to rescue the students and expressed optimism that they would soon regain their freedom.
In a separate incident, bandits abducted nine construction workers at the Federal University Gusau. One of the workers, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed, recounted that the bandits arrived on motorcycles early in the morning and broke into the building where the workers were sleeping. Mohammad managed to escape by jumping out of a window when the bandits ordered them to follow. Despite a gunshot being fired, he evaded capture.
Efforts to obtain comments from the university were unsuccessful, but an anonymous security officer at the institution acknowledged the situation, saying, “Please bear with us. I am one of the security officers of this university. You know what happened concerning the abduction of our students and the construction workers.”
