A dark cloud has fallen over CUSTECH, Osara, as the Kogi police command has regretfully confirmed the murder of two students who were taken captive in a recent abduction. The university community is reeling from the news, grappling with the senseless loss of young lives.
During a media engagement in Lokoja on Sunday, Police Commissioner Bethrand Onuoha shared the devastating news with reporters, providing an official update on the CUSTECH abduction case.
Commissioner Onuoha declined to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the killing, but emphasized that security operatives are actively pursuing the abductors, leaving no stone unturned in their quest to hold them accountable.
On the evening of May 9, around 9:00 p.m., a group of armed abductors stormed the school, catching students off guard as they studied in their classrooms in preparation for their exams scheduled for May 13. The assailants fired shots into the air, spreading panic and terror, before taking several students hostage.
Security forces, with the assistance of local hunters, have so far rescued 21 students from their abductors, but a few others are still missing, and efforts continue to secure their safe release.
The senseless killing of two students has drawn fierce condemnation from Education For All (E4A), an NGO that has been advocating for their safe release, particularly as ransom talks with their families were still underway.
According to a statement issued in Lokoja, Malam Nasir Ibrahim, the spokesperson for the NGO, condemned the heinous act in unequivocal terms.
Ibrahim characterized the killing as a despicable act of savagery, one that plumbed the depths of human depravity and left a stain on society’s conscience.
He said that the intent of the kidnappers was to scare young people from going to school, which was unfortunate.
Onuoha described the killing by their abductors as very unfortunate.
“It is sad that the criminals killed two of the students who were not among the 21 rescued through the operation coordinated by the Kogi Government.
“Although the circumstances of their kidnap and being traced to a forest in Kwara State by security agencies are yet to be ascertained. This is sad, callous and a call for collective action against attackers of educational institutions.
Read also: Kogi: EFCC’s Charges Against Bello Are Politically Driven
“We are aware that parents of the students were negotiating with the kidnappers which slowed down the offensive on the kidnappers by security agencies so as not to endanger the lives of the captives.
“We were very hopeful and optimistic that they will be released at the end of the negotiations,” he said.
Ibrahim added, “Information reaching us shows that the students allegedly killed were James Michael Anajuwe, a 100 level Information Technology student and Musa Hussein, a 100 level Software Engineering student of the University.
“They were allegedly killed at the kidnappers’ hideout in Kwara.
“We are broken and shattered that despite the efforts of the parents, NGOs and the State Government, we still lost these promising students.”
He called on the Kogi government to work with its Kwara counterpart to take a decisive action against the perpetrators who were said to be hiding in a forest in Kwara, very close to Kogi and Ekiti States.
He commiserated with the families of the lost children, urging the NSA and the Federal Ministry of Education to reinvigorate efforts on the Safe School Initiative.
“The painful loss of the two students should provoke the office of the National Security Adviser to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the safety of our schools across the country.
He lamented that the loss of young lives dedicated to learning was a tragedy that could no longer be tolerated, and exhorted the nation to unite against the rampant insecurity threatening the very fabric of society.