Gunmen kidnap five Nigerian university students - police

Gunmen in Nigeria have kidnapped five female students from a university in the northwestern Katsina state. This marks the second such abduction of students in the region within a month.

Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups are widespread in northwest Nigeria due to high levels of poverty, unemployment, and the proliferation of illegal firearms.

The incident occurred early on Wednesday at the Federal University in Dutsin-Ma town, as confirmed by Katsina police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq. The police are taking immediate action, deploying all available resources to ensure the safe rescue of the victims. Additionally, one suspect is already in custody.

This incident follows a similar abduction on September 22, when at least 24 female students were taken from their hostel at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara state. Fortunately, 16 of them were successfully freed three days later during a rescue operation conducted by security forces.