Unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted three students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
According to reports, the armed men stormed Freedom Hostel, owned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) around 7:pm on Friday, March 29, 2024 and whisked the victims away to an unknown destination.
Confirming the abduction, the spokesman for the Cross River State Police Command, SP Irene Ugbo, said the command along with other security agencies had launched a manhunt for criminals and ensure the rescue of the victims.
Ugbo said the students were abducted on Thursday night at one of the university’s hostels inside the campus but did not provide further information.
According to the police spokesman, “the police are working in collaboration with other agencies to rescue the students.”
While confirming the incident, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Florence Banku Obi, on Sunday, gave the names of the students as Ojang Precious Ebejin, a 200-level student of the Department of Medicine and Surgery, Ugwu Chukwuemeka, a 300-level student of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, and Damilola Dickson, a final-year student of the same Department.
Citing the police, the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the incident occurred on Thursday night.
At the time of filing this report, the reason behind the kidnap is sketchy.