Tension erupted at the Oro Ago Divisional Police Headquarters in Kwara State on Sunday when soldiers forcefully took custody of students from the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Kogi State. The students had been abducted by bandits and were under police care after their recent rescue.
The rescue operation had successfully freed the last set of eight students over the weekend, following systematic efforts by the police. The students, identified as Anate Hanifat Oyiza, 19; Damisa Rashidat Ometere, 17; Ahmed Tijani Fatimah, 21; Obakachi Mashkurah Onyioyiza, 17; Oloruntoba Blessing Kemisola, 23; Omojo Godwin, 19; Abdulrafiu Abdulmalik Enesi, 19; and Musa Oseni, 19, were rescued from the Aro-Ago forest in Ifelodun local government area.
In a statement, the Kwara police condemned the soldiers’ actions as “disrespectful and totally unacceptable,” stating that the soldiers overpowered police operatives and took the students without proper handover. However, Army PRO Stephen Nwankwo countered that the rescue team included officers from various agencies and denied any forceful takeover, explaining that the students were taken to Abuja following their rescue.