In the early hours of Tuesday, unidentified gunmen kidnapped a 400-level student of the Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), Augustine Madubiya.
The incident happened around 3:00 am at Istijaba Villa, an off-campus hostel in Unguwar Jeji.
Eyewitnesses say five armed men approached students sleeping outside due to the hot weather and demanded money. When the students said they had none, the attackers began to assault them.
During the chaos, a local resident, Malam Siddi Hussaini, who was attending to his cattle, heard the commotion and tried to intervene. He was shot and killed by the gunmen.
Augustine Madubiya, a final-year Economics student, was taken away by the attackers. Another student, Collaneous Steven, a 200-level Business Administration student, managed to escape.
Following the attack, the Vice Chancellor of FUBK, Professor Muhammad Zaiyan Umar, visited the scene with the Divisional Police Officer of Kalgo Division and officials from the Department of State Services (DSS). He reassured students that the university is committed to their safety.
The Vice Chancellor has also reported the incident to the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr. Nasir Idris, through top state officials.
The university thanked the District Head of Unguwar Jeji and members of the community for their support. It also called on the state government, police, and other security agencies to help rescue the kidnapped student and prevent similar incidents in the future.