The students were abducted by the heavily armed men at the university community in the Mararaba campus on Thursday, January 13.

The Head of Information and Public Relations Unit of the institution, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, confirmed the incident in a press statement said the gunmen stormed the community, located close to the University at about 11:30 pm and whisked the students to an undisclosed location.

The statement reads “The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Shehu Abdul Rahman, on behalf of the management of the institution, expressed his profound outrage at the unfortunate development and condemned it in strong terms and demand for the immediate release of those kidnapped”

The statement said that the vice-chancellor, who has since inspected the area where the students were kidnapped, paid an unscheduled visit to the Nasarawa Police Command where he formally notified the Commissioner of Police about the abduction of the students.

It also said that Abdul Rahman had contacted other security agencies in Lafia and appealed to them to work tirelessly for the quick and safe return of the students.

While expressing his sympathy to the families of the abducted students, Abdul Rahman assured them that serious efforts are being taken to ensure the quick rescue of the kidnapped students.

The VC urged students “to pay more attention to security-related matters, remain calm and go about their normal activities in the campuses of the University.”

He noted that additional measures have been put in place to guarantee adequate safety of lives and property within and outside the campuses of the University.