Student Shot Dead In Imo, Travellers Abducted

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A student of Marist Comprehensive Academy, Uturu, Abia State, has been shot dead in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.

The deceased identified as Donald Edeh was killed while some of his colleagues were abducted.

Some students of Abia State University, Uturu, were also abducted in a separate attack.

The students were said to be traveling in a bus that was attacked on Saturday evening.

The gunmen, who operated along Enugu-Port Harcourt road were said to have made a detour to Uturu via Okigwe in Imo, where they also robbed motorists and passengers at Ihube along Uturu-Okigwe road

They were said to have intercepted the travelers along a failed portion of the road.

Gunmen had June 10, 2021, kidnapped scores of travelers on the same spot.

They had also April kidnapped a Catholic priest, Izuchukwu Onyeocha, who is a professor of Sociology at Imo state University in Owerri.

The priest was released days later.

An eyewitness said that many of the travelers were taken inside the bush by the gunmen.

Officials of Marist in a statement on Sunday morning confirmed the killing of one of its students.

The statement said, “Some students from Marist Comprehensive Academy, Uturu, Abia State, were attacked by armed bandits around Ihube road in Okigwe local government area on their way from a final religious profession of some Marist brothers for their priestly vocation.

“In the course of the robbery attack, one student in the person of Edeh Donald was shot and he later died.

“Three other students were injured. They are receiving treatment and they are responding to the treatment. We pray God to guide and protect Nigerian citizens.”

When contacted, the police spokesperson in Imo state, Micheal Abattam, told our correspondent that the police had swung into action.

Abattam said the police are treating the incident as a case of the robbery attack and not a kidnapping.