Three female students abducted from Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University of Agriculture (JOSTUM), formerly the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State have regained freedom after a week in capitivity.
The students were kidnapped on February 25, 2025, while returning from a night study session on campus.
Shedrach Elum, spokesperson for the JOSTUM Students’ Union, confirmed the students’ return, saying, “I have been reliably informed that [they] are back safely.” In a video seen by HumAngle, one of the freed students said, “We survived…I am back. I am truamatised.”
A news flash shared by the Nigerian Television Authority on X on Thursday also confirmed the development, saying the students were rescued by the police.
Following their abduction, the university management ordered a one-week mid-semester break to address security challenges.
This was detailed in an internal memo titled “Security Situation on Campus”, issued a day after the abduction and signed by the Registrar, Dr John David.
The National Association of Nigerian Students and the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, had called for intensified efforts to secure their release.
