Abducted Plateau varsity student freed

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A 100-level female student of Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, Plateau State, Favour Ayuba, has regained her freedom after her abductors abandoned her following a joint security operation involving the university and security personnel.

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Ms Ayuba was abducted on Saturday night, 31 October, at an off-campus residential area in Bokkos Local Government Area, while another person sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.

The Acting Public Relations Officer of the university, Masara Kim, confirmed her release, saying the abductors abandoned the student after security personnel advanced towards their location.

“She was abandoned by her captors after the university, in collaboration with a joint security team, launched an operation that forced them to flee on sighting the advancing team,” Mr Kim said.

The student was subsequently taken to a hospital for medical examination and treatment.

Security sources had earlier disclosed that troops of Sector 5, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), deployed to the university, received information about her release at about 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, 1 November.

The university said it was working with security agencies to strengthen security arrangements within and around the institution to protect students and staff.

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Mr Kim also commended security personnel for their response, which led to the student’s recovery.

Concerns over students’ safety

The abduction has renewed concerns about the safety of students living outside the university’s main campus, particularly amid reports of repeated security incidents in the university community.

During the initial coverage of the incident, a university staff member, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly, described the shooting and abduction as the second security incident involving off-campus student residential areas within four weeks.

The staff member said university management was concerned about threats to students living off campus, despite efforts to provide secure accommodation within the institution.

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He disclosed that the university could accommodate only about 1,000 students in its hostels because of financial constraints, despite having a student population of nearly 20,000.

The university said it would continue to engage relevant authorities to expand accommodation and improve security for its students.

Although Ms Ayuba has regained her freedom, details surrounding the abduction remain unclear.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no publicly confirmed information on whether ransom was paid, the identity of the suspected abductors or whether any arrests had been made in connection with the incident.

The condition of the other person shot during the attack was also not immediately known.

The police had yet to provide details of the incident.