Gunmen abduct PLASU female student, shoot victim in fresh attack

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University (PLASU), Bokkos, and shot another person in a fresh attack on off-campus student residences in Plateau State.

The incident, which reportedly occurred at about 8.40pm on Saturday in Bokkos Local Government Area, has heightened concerns over the safety of students living outside the university campus.

A student of the institution, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the abduction, saying the victim had gone out with another female student when the attackers struck.

“Yes, the student was taken away by the attackers last night, and we have not seen her since then. She is staying off campus, but I don’t know her,” the student said.

The student appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted undergraduate and address the growing insecurity in the area.

A university staff member, who also requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, confirmed that the management was aware of the incident.

He described it as the second shooting incident involving off-campus student accommodation within four weeks.

“The university is aware of a reported shooting incident in one of the off-campus student residential areas. This would be the second such incident in four weeks,” he said.

The staff member expressed concern over the security of students living outside the university premises, noting that their safety remained a major concern to the management despite the latest attack occurring outside the campus.

He disclosed that the administration of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Shedrack Best, had been working to provide adequate on-campus accommodation but could currently accommodate only about 1,000 students due to financial constraints.

The university, which has a student population of nearly 20,000, was reportedly engaging relevant authorities to expand its accommodation facilities and strengthen security.

The staff member also acknowledged the contributions of the university’s visitor and Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) towards the provision of infrastructure.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.