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The Digest:

A wave of kidnappings has struck southern Nigeria, with gunmen abducting 19 people in separate incidents across Rivers and Imo states, compounding a national security storm that also saw five policemen killed in Bauchi.

Key Points:
  • Gunmen abducted five students from the Rivers State University (RSU) Emohua campus from an off-campus residence in the early hours.
  • In a separate incident in Imo State, armed men hijacked a passenger bus and kidnapped 14 travelers along the Owerri-Aba road.
  • The House of Representatives urged the federal government to apprehend the killers of five police officers ambushed in Bauchi State.
  • RSU students had previously protested for relocation due to cultist attacks, but the university management ruled out closing the campus.
  • Rivers police confirmed the abduction, describing the perpetrators as cultists and launching a rescue operation.
  • Imo State Police said the bus hijacking had not been officially reported, but deployed tactical units to the area.
  • These attacks occurred as President Tinubu nominated a new Defence Minister, highlighting the acute security timing.
From campus hostels to interstate highways, these incidents are not isolated crimes but symptoms of a gathering storm where fear has become a common currency, challenging the very roots of safety and mobility for ordinary Nigerians.

Sources: Vanguard News, Premium Times