Gunmen abduct over 20 medical students travelling to Enugu in Benue

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

More than 20 medical and dental students going to attend the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) annual convention in Enugu have been ambushed and abducted by yet -to- be identified gunmen in the Otukpo area of Benue State.

The students, reportedly from the University of Maiduguri in Borno State and the University of Jos in Plateau State, were abducted alongside a House Officer around 5:30 p.m.

The students were travelling together when they were abducted.

The Benue State Police Command confirmed the incident, which, took place on Thursday.

Spokesperson for the Command, SP Catherine Anene, said the students were travelling together in two buses.

According to her, they were ambushed around 7pm on Thursday along the Otukpo- Enugu federal highway, in Benue State.

“Yes, I can confirm that some students from the University of Maiduguri and University of Jos were kidnapped yesterday (Thursday) by some criminals shortly after they passed Otukpo town along the Otukpo- Enugu federal highway.

“The students were traveling in two buses before they were intercepted. We have launched investigation into the matter”, SP Anene.

An X account dedicated to reporting issues in the medical field – @Nigerian_Doctor had confirmed that the House Officer travelling with the students is one Dr Louis.

“These students, from University of Maiduguri and University of Jos, were traveling for their Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students (FECAMDS) annual convention in Enugu.

“They were reportedly abducted somewhere in Benue State, not far from Otukpo, judging by their last known location. We plead for your urgent intervention,” a tweet on the X handle indicated.

The news of the abduction of the medical and dental students broke as doctors at University College Hospital, Ibadan, on Friday, staged a peaceful protest to demand for immediate release of their colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola and her nephew, Abdul-Mugniy Folaranmi.

Popoola, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Opthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna, was abducted on Dec. 27, 2023 alongside her husband and nephew.

While her husband was released in March, Ganiyat and her nephew have since remained in captivity.

The National Association of Resident Doctors had threatened to embark on nationwide strike if their abducted colleague was not released by Aug. 26.

The UCH resident doctors carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “Seven months and counting in captivity is unacceptable”, “It is not a crime to be a doctor” and “#Bring back our Doctor Ganiyat now,” among others.

They threatened that the association might be forced to embark on strike if government failed to secure Popoola’s release within the next one week.

Details later