No fewer than 19 people, including five students of Rivers State University, were abducted yesterday during separate attacks carried out by armed men in Rivers and Imo states.
The incidents occurred on the same day the House of Representatives urged the Federal Government to identify and prosecute the killers of five police officers murdered last week in a Bauchi community.
This also followed the resignation of Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru on Monday night. President Bola Tinubu has since nominated the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, as his replacement and met with security chiefs to review the worsening security situation.
Five Rivers State University Students Abducted
In Rivers State, suspected cultists invaded the off-campus residence of students at the Rivers State University Emohua Satellite Campus in the early hours of Tuesday, abducting at least five undergraduates.
The gunmen reportedly shot and killed the compound’s security dog before storming the building and taking the victims away at gunpoint.
Students had protested last week over persistent attacks and appealed to school authorities to relocate them to the main campus in Port Harcourt. But at a pre-convocation briefing on Monday, Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi dismissed the possibility of closure or relocation, insisting security measures were already being implemented in partnership with community leaders and security agencies.
A student who narrowly escaped the abduction recounted how he fled while gunmen fired shots behind him. “Some of our students, about four or so, are missing now,” he said.
Rivers State Police spokesperson, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the attack, describing the perpetrators as cultists. She added that police tactical teams had been deployed to rescue the victims.
Gunmen Hijack Bus, Kidnap 14 in Imo
In a separate incident in Imo State, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen hijacked a commercial bus with 14 passengers along the Ngor Okpala axis of the Owerri–Aba Road on Monday evening.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers emerged from the bush, fired shots, and took control of the bus, causing chaos as other motorists abandoned their vehicles and fled.
The area has recorded similar incidents, including the abduction of 18 passengers in May 2025 and another attack weeks later in which over 20 passengers were kidnapped and two people killed.
Imo Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said the latest incident had not yet been formally reported, but confirmed that patrol teams had been deployed to the area.
Reps Demand Arrest of Bauchi Police Killers
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to immediately arrest and prosecute the armed men who ambushed and killed five police officers on November 29, 2025, in Sabon Sara, Bauchi State.
The slain officers—DSP Ahmad Muhammad, ASP Mustapha Muhammad, Inspector Amarhel Yunusa, Inspector Idris Ahmed, and Corporal Isah Muazu—were attacked during a security operation. Two others were injured.
Mansur Soro, who represents the constituency, told lawmakers that intelligence linked the killings to an armed group resisting the arrest of a dethroned hamlet head whose activities have destabilized the community.
He praised the Bauchi State government for its swift response and emphasized the hardship now faced by the families of the deceased officers.
The House passed a resolution directing the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Police Trust Fund, and North East Development Commission to provide palliatives, financial support, and educational assistance to the affected families.
Lawmakers also urged the Inspector-General of Police to expedite payment of benefits and ensure full medical treatment for injured officers.
The Committee on National Security and Police Affairs was mandated to ensure compliance with the resolutions.