Some of the students, Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Okene in Kogo State, have regained their freedom, according to the state government.
On Sunday, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, said that the students were rescued by local hunters and other security agents.
The number of students abducted was not disclosed by the government, but the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Williams Aya, told newsmen that 14 students were rescued.
According to the Commissioner’s statement, the vigilante group, in a joint effort with security agents, engaged in a fierce shootout, and some of the kidnappers succumbed and escaped.
The kidnappers escaped, leaving some of the students abducted, who also ran in different directions to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
The government said that the rescued students are at a medical facility for proper attention on Sunday.
The security agents have continued to search the forest to find more of the abducted students.
The government also disclosed that the DSS and a local hunter sustained injuries during the rescue mission and currently receiving medical attention.
“We commend our local hunters and all the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry. Of special commendation is the DSS for acting on credible intelligence to coordinate a fearless confrontation with the outlaws.
“The security agencies have once again demonstrated why Kogi State will remain an uncomfortable place for bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.
“The success recorded so far is a clear testament of the readiness of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to ensure adequate and uncompromising security for the people of Kogi State.
“We urge residents to report anyone with gun wounds found in their communities to law enforcement agents,” the statement read in part.
The students were kidnapped on Friday while they were in the class preparing for their first-semester examination, scheduled for Monday, 13 May.
The gunmen reportedly entered the classrooms on Thursday night and shot sporadically into the air while carting away an unspecified number of students. However, in an earlier statement on Friday, Fanwo had put the number of missing students at nine.
