A group of Nigerian students was abducted while travelling to sit university entrance examinations, in the latest incident of kidnapping to strike the country, according to a report by Deutsche Welle.
The state governor acknowledged the abduction but did not confirm a precise number of victims. Local media outlets reported that 17 students were taken.
The incident adds to a pattern of escalating violence across Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom have become increasingly common in multiple regions. Armed groups operating in rural and semi-rural areas have frequently targeted civilians travelling on roads, including students, commuters, and workers.
A recurring threat to education
The targeting of students travelling to academic assessments underscores the risks faced by young Nigerians seeking access to higher education. University entrance examinations, which are centrally administered and require candidates to travel to designated testing centres, have made students vulnerable to attacks during transit.
Nigeria has experienced several high-profile mass kidnappings over the past decade, including the 2014 abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram, which drew international condemnation. While that attack was carried out by an Islamist militant group, many more recent kidnappings have been attributed to criminal gangs primarily motivated by ransom demands rather than ideology.
Security deterioration across regions
According to Deutsche Welle, the abduction of the students is part of a broader surge in violence affecting different parts of the country. Nigeria's security forces have struggled to contain threats from multiple fronts, including Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, banditry in the northwest, and separatist tensions in the southeast.
The government has faced persistent criticism from citizens and opposition figures over its response to the kidnapping crisis. Families of abducted individuals have in many cases been left to negotiate ransoms privately, often with little state assistance.
Authorities had not announced at the time of reporting whether any operation was under way to locate and free the abducted students. The governor's office had not provided a timeline for a response or confirmed whether contact had been made with those responsible.
The latest abduction is expected to intensify pressure on federal and state authorities to improve security along major transit routes, particularly those used by students travelling to examination centres.
