Soldiers Stir Controversy in Kwara: Snatch Rescued Kogi Varsity Students from Police Custody
The police described how the soldiers, who arrived in convoy patrol with three operational vehicles, overpowered the police operatives at the station and forcefully took custody of the rescued students without proper handover.
Binye-lum 
Tension gripped the Oro Ago Divisional Police Headquarters in Kwara State on Sunday when soldiers forcefully took custody of rescued students from the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State. These students had been previously abducted by bandits and were under police care for debriefing following their recent rescue.
The incident occurred shortly after the police successfully rescued the last set of eight students over the weekend. Several students had been abducted earlier, with two tragically killed during their captivity. The police had been systematically rescuing the students in stages.
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The rescued students, comprising five females and three males, were identified as Anate Hanifat Oyiza, 19; Damisa Rashidat Ometere, 17; Ahmed Tijani Fatimah, 21; Obakachi Mashkurah Onyioyiza, 17; Oloruntoba Blessing Kemisola, 23; Omojo Godwin, 19; Abdulrafiu Abdulmalik Enesi, 19; and Musa Oseni, 19. They were rescued from the Aro-Ago forest, Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State.
In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the Kwara police command denounced the soldiers' actions as "disrespectful and totally unacceptable." The police described how the soldiers, who arrived in convoy patrol with three operational vehicles, overpowered the police operatives at the station and forcefully took custody of the rescued students without proper handover.
The soldiers' conduct was condemned by the command's Public Relations Officer, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi (DSP), who emphasized that such behavior was unbecoming of officers. The police vowed to report the soldiers' actions to higher authorities.
However, in a telephone conversation with Daily Trust on Sunday night, the Army PRO, Stephen Nwankwo, stated that the rescue team comprised officers from the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Army, local hunters, and a police team. He clarified that the victims were taken to Abuja by the rescue team and refuted the claim that the soldiers had forcefully taken away the victims.
Despite conflicting accounts, the incident underscores the complexities surrounding security operations and interagency collaboration in addressing kidnapping and banditry challenges across the country.
