Attackers Invade UNICAL Campus Hostel And Kidnap 3 Students

THE police command in Cross River has confirmed that three students from the University of Calabar (Unical) were kidnapped.

According to reports, around 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 29, armed people broke into Freedom Hostel, which is owned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

They subsequently kidnapped the victims and took them somewhere secret.

The command's spokeswoman, Irene Ugbo, stated that the kidnapping happened within the on-campus dorms.

Although specifics of the event remained undisclosed, Ugbo, the superintendent of police, gave assurances that law enforcement was working with other authorities to secure the release of the students who had been taken.

The students have been named as Ugwu Chukwuemeka, a 300-level student in the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Damilola Dickson, a final-year student in the same department, and Ojang Precious Ebejin, a 200-level student in the Department of Medicine and Surgery.

Unfortunately, kidnappings of students for ransom are not unusual in Nigeria; these instances happen all around the country, but they are more common in the north. Some victims are held captive for protracted periods of time.

This latest kidnapping at Unical is reminiscent of one that happened in 2022 at Arthur Jarvis University in the Cross River state local government area of Akpabuyo, when gunmen kidnapped a female student.

A student was abducted while they were leaving lessons at the university, which is owned by Sir Arthur Jarvis, a former governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The administration of the university asked students to maintain their composure while reassuring them that security services are handling the situation.