Port Harcourt / Owerri — December 3, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
Gunmen have abducted a total of 19 people — including five undergraduates of Rivers State University (RSU) and 14 passengers travelling in a commercial bus in Imo State — in coordinated attacks that underscore Nigeria’s widening security crisis.
In Rivers State, suspected cultists stormed an off-campus hostel in the early hours of Tuesday within the Rumuche/Rumuohia area of Emohua Local Government, Port Harcourt. According to a police statement by RSU spokesperson and state police authorities, the assailants opened fire, shot the hostel’s security dog, and abducted five students by gunpoint. One terrified student who escaped described a chaotic scene, saying the gunmen fired multiple shots as he fled to safety.
Meanwhile, in Imo State, members of a gun-wielding gang reportedly hijacked an Aba-bound bus in the Ngor Okpala area during Monday evening. Witnesses told reporters the kidnappers emerged from the bush, opened fire, and seized control of the fully loaded vehicle — abducting 14 passengers. The attack triggered panic along the Owerri–Aba route, with other motorists racing to escape as shots rang out.
The combined incidents come just a day after authorities in Rivers State had dismissed campus-safety fears as “under control,” even as students had publicly protested repeated harassment and insecurity at the Emohua satellite campus.
In response to the abductions, the police in both states have deployed tactical units and launched manhunts for the perpetrators. In Rivers, the state Commissioner of Police was reported to be on ground with tactical teams to secure the students’ release. In Imo, authorities have begun patrols along the affected corridor, though some police statements described a circulating video of the bus abduction as “misleading,” urging the public to remain calm.
The incidents have reignited fresh fears across the South-South and South-East regions, particularly among students and travellers, highlighting a disturbing trend of kidnappings involving both juveniles and everyday commuters. Analysts warn that the converging threats of cult violence, highway banditry and poor policing could further erode security, disrupt academic life, and accelerate internal displacement if decisive measures are not taken.
As investigations continue, the relatives of the abducted and communities at risk are calling on state and federal authorities to strengthen protection, secure release of victims, and restore public confidence in safety along campus zones and transit routes.