Gunmen in Nigeria abducted five female students from a university in the northwestern Katsina state on Wednesday, according to the police, marking the second incident of student kidnappings in the region in the past month.
The prevalence of kidnapping for ransom by armed groups in northwest Nigeria is attributed to elevated levels of poverty, unemployment, and the widespread availability of illegal firearms.
In a statement, Abubakar Sadiq, the spokesperson for the Katsina police, reported that the incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday at the Federal University located in Dutsin-Ma town.
The police have “deployed all its tactical and operational assets with a view to rescuing the victims unhurt”, he said, adding one suspect is already in custody.
On September 22nd, at least 24 female students were kidnapped from their hostel at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara state. Within three days, a rescue operation conducted by security forces led to the liberation of sixteen of the abducted students.
