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.
In a statement he issued in the early hours of the day, Fanwo said local hunters and other security agents 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 taken to medical facilities for proper attention.
Fanwo said security agents are currently combing the forests to ensure all the kidnapped students are found and brought home safely.
He revealed that a local hunter and an operative of the Department of State Services sustained injuries during the exchange of gunshots, adding that they are receiving 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.
“We urge residents to report anyone with gun wounds found in their communities to law enforcement agents.”
