The nine abducted students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State have been rescued.

Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, confirmed the rescue on Sunday.

Local hunters and other security agents, Fanwo said in a press statement, rescued the students who were kidnapped on Thursday.

The rescue of the students came hours after the Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, visited the institution to assure parents of his commitment to rescuing the students.

According to the statement on Sunday, local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout to rescue the students.

The kidnappers were said to have succumbed to superior firepower of the security agents, sustaining gunshot wounds in the process.

They thus abandoned the kidnapped students who also ran in different directions to avoid being caught in the fire exchange.

Fanwo said it was not only the students that were rescued but other victims of the kidnappers.

They have all been taken to undisclosed hospitals for medical attention.

The statement added: “We commend our local hunters and all the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry.

“Of special commendation is the DSS for acting on credible intelligence to coordinate a fearless confrontation on the outlaws.

“The security agencies have once again demonstrated why Kogi State will remain an uncomfortable place for bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.

“The success recorded so far is a clear testament of the readiness of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to ensure adequate and uncompromising security for the people of Kogi State.”

Credit: FirstWeekly