No fewer than 19 persons, including five students of Rivers State University, were kidnapped by gunmen in Rivers and Imo states yesterday.
This came on a day the House of Representatives asked the federal government to fish out the killers of five policemen in the Bauchi community last week.
Following the resignation of Defence Minister, Abubakar Badaru, late Monday, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday nominated immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa, as his replacement, even as he met with security chiefs over the security situation in the country.
In the Rivers attack, gunmen, suspected to be members of a cult group, in early hours of yesterday, abducted at least five students of the Rivers State University, RSU, Emohua Satellite Campus.
The victims were reportedly taken at gunpoint from their off-campus residence in Emuoha in Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that students living outside the campus had last week, protested persistent attacks and harassment by cultists and appealed to the RSU management to relocate them to the main campus in Port Harcourt for safety.
However, at a pre-convocation briefing on Monday, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, ruled out closing the Emohua campus or relocating students, saying the university was addressing security concerns through engagements with community leaders, council authorities and security agencies.
A student, who narrowly escaped the abduction but pleaded anonymity, said the gunmen invaded their residence around 2am and shot dead the security dog before proceeding to seize the victims.
“He was running after me and even shot at me, I don’t know how many times. I couldn’t look back because I was focused on escaping.
“Someone from the bush then ran after me. I had to run faster to the gate. Some of our students, about four or so, are missing now,’’ the student said.
The latest incident followed last week’s alleged robbery attack in Rumuji, barely hours after the vice chancellor’s assurances.
Spokesperson of the Rivers State police command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the abduction, describing the perpetrators as cultists.
“They were abducted by cultists. In the early hours of Tuesday (yesterday), a group of cultists numbering five stormed an isolated area of Rumuchi/Rumuohia, shot sporadically and abducted five persons to an unknown destination,” she said.
While disclosing that the police had launched a manhunt for the abductors, the police scribe said: “We have put efforts in place for their safe rescue. As I speak, the commissioner of police has gone there with tactical teams to ensure they regain their freedom.”
