Governor Ododo visits CUSTECH, says security breach caused by internal sabotage

Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has vowed to secure the safe return of students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) Osara, who were abducted from the university campus on Thursday.

Governor Ododo, who stated this when he visited the university campus on an assessment of the situation in the wake of the security breach on the campus that led to the abduction of the students, attributed the unfortunate development to sabotage by internal collaborators.

He explained that investigation so far conducted indicated that all the CCTV cameras installed in strategic parts of the institution were switched off on the day of the incident.

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The Governor, however, assured stakeholders that every necessary step including non-kinetic measures had been activated to ensure the safe return of the abducted students.

While assuring members of the university community of efforts by the government to improve the existing security architecture on the campus, Ododo promised that he would do “whatever it takes to return all the abducted students to the university and reunite them with their families and friends.”

Ododo stated: “It is our duty as a government to protect life and property in all parts of the state. We are prepared to protect the students and that is why we allowed the students to stay on the campus.

“We installed CCTV cameras in all the classrooms and the entire perimeter of the university campus, yet on the day of the attack, our investigation so far revealed that all the cameras were switched off and this can only be attributed to sabotage by internal collaborators.

“Our security agencies are on their heels and investigation is ongoing. All our students shall return safely and the perpetrators shall be brought to book.”

Ododo disclosed that there would be regular review of the operations as more facts emerged from the investigation, saying; “I am here to see things myself; to assess the situation and review the ongoing operation that will ensure the safe return of the students to the school. What is most important now is how to rescue our students unhurt.

“We have the right information at our disposal, but we can’t put all that out in the media. I want the parents and students to be calm as we are making concerted effort to secure the return of the students.”

A statement by Mr Ismail Isah, Special Adviser to the Governor of Kogi on Media, said that Ododo commended the security agencies for their gallantry in minimizing the impact of the attack by preventing the attackers from gaining access to the university hostels.

The Governor stressed that nothing would be spared to bring back the students and to prevent a repeat of such unfortunate attack on the university campus and elsewhere in the state.