What could be the motive behind the increasing attacks by bandits on female university students in parts of the country? That is the searing question elevated to the fore by the resurging selective attacks and abduction of female university students in the last two weeks.
Bandits invaded the private residence of female students of the Federal University, Dutsinma, Katsina State around 2am last Wednesday while shooting indiscriminately to ward off possible resistance. By the time their fire power subsided, five final year female students were abducted and ferried to unknown destination.
The Katsina State Police Command while confirming the incident said a man suspected to be an informant to the kidnappers was arrested. It is yet unclear the motive of the kidnappers or what they intend to do with the female students. But such selective attacks targeting female students have continued to generate concerns across the country.
Before then, about 21 female students of the Federal University of Technology, Gusau, Zamfara State were similarly abducted by bandits. The terrorists that invaded three female hostels of the university at 2.50am rode on about 50 motorcycles to the scene of the attack.
Armed with sophisticated ammunitions, they shot their way indiscriminately into the three hostels and kidnapped the female students they saw there. A source privy to the attack incident said Nigerian troops engaged the bandits during the encounter but the bandits held on and were still able to escape with the kidnapped victims.
Some students of the same university had last June, protested the high rate of kidnapping of their schoolmates in the Sabon-Gidan and Damba areas of the university town. Elsewhere, attacks on institutions of higher learning and the subsequent abduction of students have been a familiar narrative.
A private university located in Kaduna State was in April 20, 2021 similarly attacked with the bandits abducting about 20 students. Some of the students were released after ransom payment while in a twist of fate, three of the unfortunate ones were shot dead by the demented bandits and their bodies dumped in a village close to the university. Two other students died as a result of the attack bringing the casualty rate to five.
The university was forced by the attack to relocate from its permanent site along Kaduna-Abuja highway to its city campus inside Kaduna metropolis. These are just few instances of the attacks on educational institutions since kidnapping and associated criminalities gained traction on these shores.
Before this new focus on female university students, there was the selective abduction of 276 female secondary school girls from Chibok, Borno State in April, 2014 which generated considerable global attention. Even with all the efforts made to release some of the abducted girls, estimates still have it that about 90 of them are still missing till date.
This reign of terror on school girls was also unleashed on Dapchi in Yobe State when terrorists abducted 110 secondary school girls from their dormitory in April 2018 and ferried them away. After 33 days in captivity, 104 of the students were released through what the government described as back-channel efforts and help from friends of the country without paying ransom.
Sadly, five of the students died of exhaustion while one of them Leah Sharibu was held back for failing to denounce her religion. News made the round a fortnight ago that she had married another Boko Haram commander after dumping a previous one with whom she had two children.
Credit: Thenation
