NANS urges Egbetokun to rescue abducted Benue varsity students

The National Association of Nigerian Students has charged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to rescue the abducted female students of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Benue State.

The NANS National Public Relations Officer, Samson Adeyemi, appealed in a statement sent to PUNCH Online correspondent on Thursday.

PUNCH Online reports that the female students of the engineering department were abducted on the university campus while returning from a night reading.

The varsity management has ordered the school closure.

Sources within the institution had told our correspondent that the armed abductors stormed out of a nearby bush and kidnapped the students.

While the university management confirmed that three students were kidnapped, the students claimed that four students were involved in the incident.

Reacting to the abduction, Adeyemi described it as barbaric and a dent in the security architecture of the country.

He expressed displeasure towards the audacity of the abductors to carry out the act on the university campus.

Adeyemi stated, “It is sad to hear that the students were kidnapped on the university’s campus. This shows that our campuses are no longer safe and it is a dent in the security architecture of this country. How the kidnapping occurred is barbaric.

“Higher institutions are supposed to be safe and secure for learning and the right of every student be protected.

“The leadership of the National Association of Nigeria Students is appealing to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately deploy resources to rescue the abducted students.”

He urged students of the university to remain calm while stressing that all hands were on deck to ensure that the students were safely rescued.

“I am appealing to the students to remain calm. The NANS Headquarters will liaise with necessary quarters to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students,” Adeyemi concluded.

Meanwhile, students of the university staged a protest on Wednesday to express their displeasure over the abduction.

Multiple videos and photos obtained by our correspondent showed the students marching within the school premises, carrying placards with the inscription “BringBackOurGirls”, and singing solidarity songs.