Gunmen abduct final year student, demand N5m ransom in Plateau

The President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Plateau State, Mr Zuma Francis Fwanshiwa on Friday confirmed the abduction of one of the college students by gunmen.

Top Naija learnt that the abducted student was identified as Mr Felix Gele is in his final year and operated a provision shop near the institution.

Gele was said to be in his shop when gunmen kidnapped him to an unknown destination.

The SUG President who decried the circumstance explained that since the incident happened on Wednesday night, the whereabouts of the student has remained unknown.

He said, “The FCE Pankshin students are presently not happy because one of our students, Felix Gele, popularly known as Flavour, has been kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

“The victim is a 400-level (final year) student in the Department of Psychology.

“From what I gathered, he was in his shop in Pankshin with a relative when the gunmen who pretended to be customers arrived at the place around 8pm on Wednesday.

“One of the gunmen who first arrived at the shop actually bought bread from the shop, and while he was still there, another of his gang member came and asked for another item.

“It was while the student was trying to attend to the second person that the third gang member brandishing a gun suddenly appeared at the shop and ordered him and his relative to lie down.

“After they collected all the money they made from the shop that day, the gunmen asked the student to follow them, and since then, he has not been seen.”

A close friend of the abducted student who bemoaned the security situation in Pankshin said the gunmen had made contact with the family and demanded N5 million ransom.

The source stated, “When the gunmen abducted the student, they called the wife and demanded N5 million ransom initially and later reduced the amount to N1 million.

“As it is, I don’t know where the wife of a student is going to get that kind of amount, and that’s why I am appealing to those holding him to show mercy and release my friend.”

The Spokesman for the State Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, when contacted assured to get back to our reporter, but he was yet to do so as of the time this report was filed.