A lecturer of Abia State University, Uturu, has been abducted along with his niece by suspected Fulani herdsmen along Campus/Isuikwuato road in Abia state.
The bandits also abducted another teacher at the University’s International Secondary School Uturu and his wife travelling together with the lecturer.
The victims were said to be traveling to Ozuitem for an event when the incident happened.
According to a university source who pleaded anonymity, the victims were driving on the Campus/ Isuikwuato road when they ran into the band of bandits who began to shoot sporadically, thus forcing the vehicles in which the victims were traveling to a halt.
The source said that there were other travelers including another lecturer of the university who also ran into the bush. However, it is not yet clear the actual number of persons whisked away by the gunmen.
It also not yet clear if any contacts had been made with the family of the victims.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer PPRO Geoffrey Ogbonna confirmed the incident but said only one lecturer is still in captivity.
He said that the other victims had been rescued, adding that efforts were ongoing to also rescue the remaining victims.
Few months ago, abductions by Fulani herdsmen were rampant around Isuikwuato and Ozuitem. After the introduction of the Eastern Security Network ESN, their activities declined drastically.
However, with the clampdown on ESN and its leadership, banditry seems to have resurged in the region.
