By Damilare Adeleye
Terrorists locally known as bandits have reportedly attacked the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene in Kogi, abducting a yet-to-be disclosed number of students.
It was reported that the attack happened around 9.00 p.m. while the students were reading for their upcoming exams.
A source, privy to the incident, disclosed that the bandits who came in through the bush, entered three of the lecture halls and started shooting into the air.
“They trapped the students inside the halls and started taking them; the school was thrown into total confusion as fear-stricken students in other halls scurried to safety, scampering in various directions.
“By the time local security guards and the conventional security men at the gate engaged the bandits, they had already succeeded in abducting some students. But the efforts minimised the damage as the attackers didn’t go beyond the first three halls,” the source said.
The source added that the students were preparing for their first semester examination expected to commence on Monday, May 13, when the bandits struck.
A student, who craved anonymity, said that he and some colleagues ran to the bush and hid there for more than an hour.
“We only ventured out when everywhere became quiet,” he said.
CUSTEC Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulraman Asipita, when contacted, confirmed the incident but refused to give details of the number of students abducted.
“I don’t talk to journalists about incidents like this, but I want you to know that we are on top of the situation,” he said.