The return of five abducted students has eased tension across Rivers State University (RSU), where the sudden disappearance of the undergraduates earlier this week had thrown the institution into fear and uncertainty.
Their release followed an intensified push by security operatives, who moved quickly to locate and rescue the victims after an alarm raised by university authorities sparked wider concern.
The students, Prince London, Azubuike Kelechukwu, Elizabeth Aniete, Onyebuchi Precious, and London Sampson, all from the Emohua campus of the university, were kidnapped at the RSU Satellite Campus in Emohua Kingdom, Emohua Local Government Area.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the victims were rescued at Rumudogo 2 community in Emohua LGA by tactical teams of the command, in collaboration with other security agencies.
According to her, the command’s tactical teams worked with community members and other security agencies to recover the victims unharmed.
Iringe-Koko noted that the students had been taken to a hospital for medical examination and added that intensive efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing abductors.
“Intensive efforts are ongoing to track down and apprehend the fleeing abductors, who are believed to be cultists,” she said. Police believe the abductors, who escaped during the raid, are operating within the area, and authorities have initiated a wider security sweep to locate them and dismantle their networks.
The police further appealed for cooperation from residents as they work to stabilize the area, assuring the public that investigations will continue until all individuals responsible are captured, and stressing that additional measures have been activated to strengthen security around the institution and protect returning students.
