It has been 5 days since Habiba Shantali, Mariam Musa and Yusuf Abdulazeez – all college students of Al-Qalam College, Katsina State, had been kidnapped by closely armed bandits within the Dutsinma space of the state.
However the worry that enveloped the college neighborhood when information of the kidnapping of the scholars, who hailed from Borgu Native Authorities Space of Niger State, has not disappeared.
Whereas Shantali is a 200-level political science pupil, Musa and Abdulazeez are 400-level microbiology and arithmetic college students, respectively.
Along with the truth that the three college students dwell in the identical municipal space, destiny additionally introduced them collectively on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
The trio had beforehand traveled dwelling at completely different occasions however met at a motorcycle park in Minna and selected to journey again to the campus of Al-Qalam College, Katsina by street.
Maybe for consolation and to reach early to high school, they selected to make use of a smaller automobile as an alternative of the Niger State public transport bus, which was additionally heading to Katsina that day.
In accordance with the President of the Niger State College students, Al-Qalam College, Katsina Chapter, Sheu Madiu, the automobile by which the trio had been touring was waylaid by armed males suspected of being bandits close to Dutsinma on Sunday night.
Madiu added that the three college students had been kidnapped together with different passengers within the automobile by the gunmen, insisting that prayers had been being held for the protected launch of their colleagues as nothing had been heard of them since.
“Our three colleagues had been touring dwelling to Niger State and returning to Katsina on Sunday after they had been kidnapped by bandits round Dutsinma on Sunday night. Actually, we weren’t conscious of their kidnapping till the subsequent day when Abdulazees' mom referred to as to inquire if he had arrived on campus.
“Additionally, the passengers of the Niger State public transport bus confirmed that the Sharon bus by which our three colleagues had been touring left Minna earlier than the state public transport bus.
“After receiving the information, we met and knowledgeable the administration about it. Sadly, we have now not heard something up to now (Thursday), neither from the bandits nor from the mother and father of the three colleagues. Nevertheless, we have now intensified our prayers for his or her freedom.”
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Katsina State Police Command, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, stated the command had not acquired any official report on the incident.
“We’ve got not acquired any official report on the kidnapping. We are going to contact you as quickly as we obtain the report,” Aliyu advised our correspondent.
Nevertheless, in a press release on the incident on Thursday, college authorities stated the victims final contacted their households in Zaria whereas in transit.
The assertion signed by the spokesperson of the establishment, Akilu Atiku, learn partly: “We want to touch upon latest reviews circulating within the media relating to two (three) college students of Al-Qalam College, Katsina, who had been allegedly kidnapped at street to Katsina. from Niger State to renew research. The scholars had been among the many passengers touring in a industrial automobile on the time of the kidnapping.
“The final contact with their households befell in Zaria whereas they had been en route. Details about the circumstances of their abduction remains to be scarce because the reported incident didn’t happen on the college. Nevertheless, the college has contacted the households of the scholars who confirmed the incident.”
However the temper at college then Sunday PUNCH which was visited on Thursday, was certainly one of basic anxiousness, particularly among the many college students.
Though (educational) actions continued unhindered on campus, the incident was nonetheless the topic of dialogue amongst employees and college students.
It was additional discovered from the scholars that the freeway within the space the place it was speculated that the three college students had been kidnapped on Sunday was infamous for banditry and different crimes.
Some college students additionally revealed that these aware of the freeway had deserted the route for alternate routes at the same time as they alleged that some industrial drivers plying the freeway had been informants for bandits.
One of many college students, Abullahi Muntari (not actual title for safety causes), stated: “I’m from Zaria. My mother and father dwell in Zaria. I used to take the Katsina-Dutsinma-Kankara-Zaria freeway. Nevertheless, my mother and father instructed me to make use of the Kaduna/Kano/Katsina route after bandits attacked us at Yantumaki and kidnapped us.
“My mother and father paid N3m to ensure my freedom. The route the place our colleagues had been kidnapped (Dutsinma-Yantumaki-Kankara freeway) is a useless zone. Bandits function there always of the day, despite the fact that there are troopers engaged in a joint navy operation alongside the route, particularly close to Yantumaki. However what I discovered was that some drivers are informants for the bandits.
“Sadly, some vacationers unfamiliar with the Katsina route are nonetheless plying the freeway. Normally, they’re those who simply fall sufferer to bandit assaults. Many individuals now use the Kano-Kaduna freeway or the Charanchi-Malumfashi-Hunkuyi route when leaving Katsina, as an alternative of the Dutsinma-Yantumaki-Kankara route.”
Nevertheless, a closing yr Arithmetic pupil, Muhammed Ali (not actual title), stated except the Federal Authorities got here to the help of Katsina State in tackling banditry by deploying extra troops and safety tools to the state, residents would proceed to witness the avoidable assaults.
“There may be not a day when bandits don’t function alongside the Katsina-Dutsinma-Kankara route regardless of the presence of safety operatives. It’s evident that the safety operatives are overwhelmed by banditry and different crimes within the state. I simply really feel sorry for them,” he added.
One other pupil from the Division of Laptop Science, Ahmed Ahmed (not actual title), referred to as on neighboring state governments to supply a protected technique of transferring college students from their respective states to school and again dwelling in the course of the college holidays.
“The safety state of affairs in Katsina now, particularly alongside the foremost highways connecting Katsina, remains to be not good. States whose college students are right here (at Al-Qalam College) should organize particular autos for his or her journey, particularly on the finish of every semester. The states may even cost college students a token for this and I do know mother and father could be pleased to pay that.”
Nevertheless, a Katsina businessman, who didn’t want to be named, appealed to the Federal Authorities to deploy extra troops to all highways.
He stated: “It’s an open secret that the bandits and criminals have informants monitoring the highways for them. The one resolution is to extend the variety of troops on the freeway. The governments, particularly the federal authorities, ought to look into this space.”