Gunmen kidnap 9 university students in Nigeria

By Timothy Olanrewaju

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Gunmen have kidnapped nine university students during an attack on Confluence University of Science and Technology in Nigeria's north-central Kogi State, an official said on Friday.

Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, said that the incident occurred when armed men stormed the university campus in Osara, Adavi local government area late on Thursday.

According to Fanwo, the gunmen entered a classroom where students were preparing for their first semester exams scheduled to begin on May 13. They fired multiple shots, causing confusion, and abducted at least nine students during the chaos.

"The State Government will spare nothing in ensuring that all the students abducted are safely rescued and reunited with their families," he said.

He said that the government is actively working to secure the release of the abducted students.

In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in attacks on schools and educational institutions, with students frequently being abducted by terrorists, bandits, or armed gangs.

One of the most notorious incidents occurred on April 14, 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from a public school in the volatile northeast region of Nigeria, marking one of the largest mass abductions of students in Africa's largest economy.