At least 13 students of the Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected ritualists.
The abduction of the unsuspecting students reportedly took place Thursday evening while the victims were on their way to the university’s campus in Malete, Moro local government area of the state.
The daughter of the chairman of the correspondents’ chapel of the state’s chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists and state correspondent of Daily Sun, Bolaji Olanrewaju, Dorcas, was among the kidnapped students.
Dorcas, a 200 Level student of the Department of Mass Communication, was later dumped in Omu Aran, Irepodun local government area of the state on Friday morning by the suspected kidnappers.
Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers, Dorcas said that the whereabouts of her colleagues were unknown.
She explained: “While in the taxi I boarded, a woman in the vehicle complained of feeling cold, so the glass windows were closed up. I lost consciousness and I later found myself among some people in the night. We were about 13 in the place as at Thursday night but the ritualists have taken six victims away.
“They told us that they are heading to Ekiti state. I was kept inside the booth of the vehicle. When we got to Offa, they asked of my origin and I told them that I am from Omu Aran. So, when they wanted to take water for the faulty radiator of the vehicle at Omu Aran, I was dropped and set free, unknown to them, in front of my father’s house”.
It was also gathered that Dorcas had left her off-campus residence to write an examination and boarded one of the campus shuttle when she was eventually driven to an unknown destination.
Director, University Relations, Dr. Isiaka Aliagan, said that security had been beefed up on Malete route, around the campus and environ and confirmed the story.
“A 200 level female Mass Communication student of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete was reportedly kidnapped by unknown person(s) yesterday but later dropped at Omuaran where she was found.
“Preliminary information available to us indicated that she reportedly left the premises of ongoing examination to her off-campus hostel to pick her course registration form, after which she went missing.
“Meanwhile, another female student was picked up by the police. Officials of KWASU Safety unit and her parents were invited to the Omuaran police station to pick her up.
“KWASU management would like to stress that all efforts were made to secure the lives of its students staying on both campus and off-campus hostels, while all commercial transport operators were duly registered with the university to ensure proper monitoring of their activities.
“At the moment, the identity of the vehicle involved in the kidnap incident or its driver is not yet known”.
When contacted, the spokesman of the state police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said that the command had commenced investigation into the matter.
He said that the report had been circulated to police formations within and outside the state towards possible arrest of the suspected hoodlums.
