(suspected bandts. Photo Credit: Genocide Watch)
Seven students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, in Zamfara State, were abducted by suspected bandits who stormed their off-campus accommodation on the outskirts of the Low-Cost area of Kaura Namoda town on Tuesday night.
The Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Mannir Haidara Kaura, confirmed the incident, stating that security agencies had already launched operations aimed at securing the safe return of the victims.
A student of the institution, Ibrahim Ahmad, disclosed that one of those initially taken managed to escape during the attack, leaving six others three males and three females still in the hands of the abductors.
A group called the Concerned Citizens of Kaura Namoda also weighed in on the development, expressing alarm over the deteriorating security situation in the area, which they linked to a notorious bandit leader identified as Kachalla Bello Dansadiya and his gang.
In a statement, the group recalled previous incidents in the area, including the abduction of two senior lecturers who were held for over two months despite ransom payments, as well as the kidnapping of three residents and a district head from his home near a military base with reports indicating the victims are still being held in a bandit camp around Dajin Yamma.
The group questioned the effectiveness of ongoing security operations in the region.
The Zamfara State Police Command also confirmed the abduction in a statement on Wednesday, saying efforts had been intensified to rescue the victims.
Command spokesperson DSP Yazid Abubakar confirmed that the attack took place at the students’ residence on the outskirts of the Low-Cost area, with one student escaping while six others were taken away.
Abubakar noted that the polytechnic itself remains secure, with adequate security deployment making it difficult for bandits to penetrate the school premises.
He explained that the attack on the off-campus residence was made possible after one of the students stepped outside at night and inadvertently left the door open, allowing the bandits who were reportedly passing through the area to gain entry and abduct the occupants.
He added that operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), working in collaboration with troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, have launched a coordinated rescue operation to secure the release of the abducted students.