No fewer than six students of the Nigerian Law School have been abducted by suspected gunmen while travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.

PUNCH Online gathered that the incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, July 26, as the students were on their way to resume academic activities at the Yola campus of the Nigerian Law School, scheduled to reopen on Monday, July 28, following their court externship break.

A fellow law student at the Yola campus, Damilare Adenola, confirmed the incident to PUNCH Online via phone call on Sunday, saying, “Six students of the Nigerian Law School have been reportedly kidnapped by suspected armed bandits while travelling to resume school after their court externship break.”

He added, “Some missing students have been identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David.”

According to him, the reports suggest that the abduction took place along the route between Wukari in Taraba State and a part of Benue State—an area known for insecurity and frequent attacks on travellers.

A student leader at the Yola campus, who spoke with PUNCH Online on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, disclosed that the matter had already been reported to the police.

“We are currently in Yola. We have contacted the Adamawa Police Command. We are just waiting for more updates from them. We haven’t got any concrete information yet,” the student leader said.

When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Adamawa State Police Command, Yahaya Suleiman, confirmed that the command was aware of the abduction but clarified that the incident did not occur within Adamawa’s jurisdiction.

“The abduction did not occur inside Adamawa State. I would encourage you to contact the Benue State Police Command for more details,” Suleiman said.

He also assured all that both commands were working closely to secure the safe return of the students.

“We cooperate not only with the police in other states but also with other sister agencies to ensure that those coming into Adamawa are safe, without harassment or intimidation.

“The command is collaborating with officers and men of the Benue State Police Command to ensure these students are rescued,” he stated.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Anene Catherine, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to her phone were not responded to. (Sunday PUNCH)

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