Three Plateau State Polytechnic students have been kidnapped by gunmen at Bam village in Heipang Area of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.
The students, a male and two females were kidnapped on Wednesday.
The victims were abducted from one of the private hostels known as the ‘Plateau Embassy’ in the polytechnic in The late hours of Wednesday.
The incident has however been reported to security agencies by neighbours.
Confirming the incident, the military information officer of Operation Safe Haven, Major Ishaku Takwa said troops have been directed to rescue the victims unhurt.
He stressed the importance of the public in supporting the fight against crimes with credible and prompt information to security agencies and report any suspicious movement in their vicinity for prompt action.
Meanwhile, the authority of the institution has denied a report that some of its students were kidnapped from their hostel, describing the report as fake news.
Speaking with newsmen, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Matthew Dokotri, confirmed that there was a misunderstanding between some students but not an abduction.
Dokotri disclosed that the incident is being investigated by the Police and the outcome of the investigation would be made public.
He said: “I came to the Main Campus and we went to the Barkin Ladi Police Station with the Chief Security Officer of the institution. We met the DPO of Barkin Ladi.
“What happened yesterday, the 12th of January, 2022; precisely by 8.15 pm, a male student by name Lucky Joel of ND1 Electrical Electronics Engineering Department made an illegal electrical connection from a lady’s apartment to his own.
“When the lady found out, she engaged the boy, telling him that he should disconnect the illegal connection, the boy mobilized some other students nearby and they engage the woman in an argument.
“The woman said she was going to call the Police if the boy refused to disconnect the illegal connection, and the boy said he has a brother that is a soldier at Bokkos, he will also call his brother. Somehow, the boy pulled aside, the woman said she overheard him saying, “ku zo, ku zo”, (meaning he was calling some people) but she did not know whether it was on phone or not.
“But within a short while, some kidnappers came and took the two ladies, those ladies, Bencit and Lokfei are residing with the woman. A boy was also picked along with the ladies. The woman who raise the light issue escaped when those kidnappers came and they are suspected to be Fulanis.
“The two ladies they picked are not students of our school. A call was made to the military, they came, I don’t know what information they got but they arrested the boy, who is our student and handed it over to the Police.
“Based on the finding of the DPO, the boy is a suspect because he made the call based on what the woman said but they are still investigating him.
“Even our students did not know what happened, they are writing their exams, the campus is flourishing well with academic activities. The DPO said the investigation is ongoing, maybe more details will come later.”
