The Zamfara State Police Command says it has intensified rescue operations following the abduction of seven students of Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, by suspected bandits who invaded their off-campus residence on the outskirts of the Low-Cost area of Kaura Namoda town.
Confirming the incident, the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said the attack occurred at night when one of the students stepped outside to relieve himself and left the door open.
“One of the students went outside during the night, claiming he wanted to urinate. In the process, he left the door open. Coincidentally, bandits passing through the area entered the house and abducted the students,” Abubakar told Daily Trust.
According to police and student sources, one of the abducted students managed to escape, leaving three male and three female students still in captivity.
The Chairman of Kaura Namoda LGA, Hon. Mannir Haidara Kaura, also confirmed the incident and said security agencies had launched operations to secure the victims’ release.
DSP Abubakar said members of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, are working alongside troops of Operation Fansan Yamma in a coordinated rescue mission.
“Our VCRU personnel, together with troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, are working to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted students,” the police spokesperson said.
He added that the Federal Polytechnic campus itself remains “well secured” with adequate personnel deployed, making it “extremely difficult for bandits to penetrate.” The attack, he noted, targeted an off-campus residence, not school facilities.
The abduction has sparked concern in Kaura Namoda. A group, Concerned Citizens of Kaura Namoda, decried the worsening security situation and blamed it on a notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Bello Dansadiya, and his gang.
The group recalled previous kidnappings in the area, including two senior lecturers held for over two months and the abduction of a district head near a military base. It alleged that victims are being kept at a “well-known bandit camp around Dajin Yamma” without rescue operations.
“Alarmingly, all these victims are reportedly still being held in a well-known bandit camp around Dajin Yamma, yet no rescue operations have taken place. Where are the fighter jets and armoured vehicles?” the group queried.
Police authorities have not commented on the group’s allegations but reiterated that efforts are ongoing to free the six remaining students and restore safety along the Kaura Namoda axis.
