Suspected bandits have reportedly abducted about 18 students of the Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto State, while they were travelling to their hometowns in Oyo State.
The students were said to be travelling in a chartered bus arranged by their institution from Sokoto to the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, particularly Igboho, when the vehicle was intercepted by the attackers.
According to sources familiar with the incident, the assailants allegedly killed the driver before taking the students into captivity. The abductors were reportedly heading towards the Mokwa axis with the victims.
An Oke-Ogun youth leader who confirmed the incident said the victims were students of Gamji College of Health Technology and not students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, as had earlier been reported.
He said the attack occurred within the past 48 hours, adding that the driver was killed at the scene and his remains were buried on Saturday.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of students travelling across states, particularly along routes affected by banditry and kidnapping.
Efforts to obtain further information from the Oyo State Police Command, including confirmation of the incident and details of ongoing rescue operations, were reportedly unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
