Sokoto health college clears air on report of student abduction

The Gamji College of Health Technology in Sokoto has denied claims that about 18 of its students were kidnapped while heading to Oyo State.

The college stated that no such incident involving its students took place.

This denial came after a report from SaharaReporters on Monday. The report claimed that gunmen took about 18 students who were traveling from Sokoto to their homes in Oke-Ogun, Oyo State.

The report also mentioned that the driver of the bus they were in was killed.

SaharaReporters quoted a youth leader from Oke-Ogun. The leader said the students were from Gamji College of Health Technology and were in a chartered bus heading to Igboho when they were attacked.

The source further claimed that the kidnappers and their victims had reached the Mokwa area in Niger State.

However, the college registrar, Abdulrahman Bello, told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the news was false.

"No, it’s false news," Mr Bello said during a phone interview.

He later sent a written statement to PREMIUM TIMES in response to the claims.

"The College wishes to categorically state that the said report is false, misleading, and does not reflect the true situation," the statement read.

"No student of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, was kidnapped, and there was no such incident involving our students."

The college assured that its students were safe and at their various destinations continuing their studies.

It urged parents, guardians, and the public to ignore the report and rely on the college’s official channels for information.

Mr Bello mentioned that the false report had led to concerns about the students' safety, including calls from outside Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES also reached out to the Niger State Police Command after the report referenced Mokwa.

The command's spokesperson, Wasiu Abiodun, a superintendent of police, said he was not aware of any such incident.

"In Mokwa? When?" he asked after PREMIUM TIMES explained the report.

Mr Abiodun said he would check into the claim.

He had not provided any further information at the time of this report.

PREMIUM TIMES also contacted the Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, Ahmed Rufai, but he did not answer.

A WhatsApp message sent to him for clarification received no response at the time of this report.

The original report did not specify the exact location of the supposed attack, while the college named in the report has denied that any of its students were taken.

PREMIUM TIMES will update this report when the police or other relevant authorities share more details.