Vanguard
By Ibrahim HassanWuyo
Gunmen invaded the Federal College of Forestry and Agric Mechanization in Mando, Kaduna on Thursday night, where they abducted a number of female students.
A student of the college told the BBC Hausa in an interview monitored on Friday morning, that she was informed the previous night that one of their friends by name Faith, was missing.
She said all the female students in the college were kidnapped.
“Upon inquiry, we were told that kidnappers came to the college and whisked away students. Faith is our friend, we’ve not seen her,” she said.
“I later called our friend Habiba early morning( Friday) who told me that the kidnappers came and were shooting sporadically in the college. Habiba said it was after the operation that the security agents came.”
She told the BBC Hausa that the number of female students taken away might have reached 50.
She said the population of females in the college was about a hundred but half of that were herded away by the gunmen.
According to the student ,the kidnappers came to the college around 11 pm and operated for hours.
She said no male student was affected.
A father of one of the college students ,told the BBC Hausa that the college was close to the Nigerian Defense Academy, NDA .
He said his house was not far away from the college and they heard gunshots from 11pm to 12 midnight. ”
We were not bothered because we were used to such gunshots from the neighboring NDA .It was early morning that my daughters told me female students of the college were kidnapped.Because I live close to the college, my daughters stay at home. ”
He explained that it was after the students were taken away that security agents came to the college and moved the remaining students to the NDA for safety.
Movement has been restricted within and outside the college,while security was beefed up in the area .
Parents and relations of the kidnapped students were seen near the college, trying to inquire about the missing students, but the security agents prevented them from getting access to the college .
Journalists were told that only senior government officials and the security agents were inside the college on Friday morning, conducting a head count to ascertain actual number of those kidnapped.
Empty shells of bullet’s that might have been shot by the kidnappers during the operation, were seen on ground near the college gate,even as some security agents were noticed picking the empty shells.
A helicopter was later sighted hovering over the school and its surrounding areas, perhaps on reconnaissance duty.
The college is located in an area close to the dreaded Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road ,and some few kilometers to the Kaduna Airport .
Both the Commissioner of Internal Security in the state, Samuel Aruwan and the spokesperson of the state Police Command, Mohammed Jalige confirmed the incidence.
Jalige said the police was working with the military to find the kidnappers and rescue the students.
This story originally appeared on Vanguard.
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