Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
About 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto State, have reportedly been abducted while travelling to their hometowns in Oyo State, after gunmen allegedly attacked their chartered bus and killed the driver.
The incident reportedly occurred within the past 48 hours along the route from Sokoto towards Oke-Ogun in Oyo State, with the students said to have been travelling to communities around Igboho.
Local sources cited in reports said the attackers intercepted the vehicle, killed the driver and took the students into captivity. The abductors were reportedly believed to have moved towards the Mokwa axis in Niger State.
However, as of Monday, October 5, 2026, the reported abduction had not been independently confirmed by the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army or another federal security agency.
The lack of an official confirmation means details including the exact number of students abducted, the circumstances of the driver’s death and the current location of the victims remain subject to verification.
What Happened
The students were reportedly travelling from Sokoto State to Oke-Ogun in Oyo State in a chartered bus arranged by their institution.
According to sources familiar with the incident, the bus was intercepted by suspected bandits along the journey. The attackers allegedly killed the driver before taking the students away.
An Oke-Ogun youth leader who spoke about the incident clarified that the victims were students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, rather than students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, as had reportedly been stated in some earlier accounts.
The youth leader said the students were travelling to their communities in Oke-Ogun, with Igboho identified as their destination.
He also said the driver was killed during the attack and that the abducted students were subsequently moved towards the Mokwa area.
Other sources familiar with the incident reportedly placed the number of abducted students at about 18.
The reports have not, however, provided the names of the students or detailed information about their individual conditions.
Gamji College Confirms the Institution’s Identity
Gamji College of Health Technology is a health training institution located in Sokoto State.
The institution’s official website describes it as a college established to train health personnel, with programmes including community health, health information management, public health technology, epidemiology and disease control.
An official professional regulatory database also lists Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, among accredited health institutions in the country.
The identification of the college is important because early reports about the incident reportedly contained confusion over the institution attended by the victims.
Available accounts now identify the students as being from Gamji College of Health Technology and say they were returning to their communities in Oyo State.
Driver Reportedly Killed
One of the most serious claims surrounding the incident is the reported killing of the bus driver.
According to the Oke-Ogun youth leader cited in the reports, the driver was killed at the scene after the vehicle was intercepted.
The source further claimed that the driver’s remains had been buried.
That aspect of the account has not been independently verified by Weng Global, and no official security agency statement confirming the driver’s identity or death was immediately available.
The distinction is important because reports of deaths during violent incidents can change as investigators establish what happened and families receive official confirmation.
Weng Global therefore does not treat the reported death as independently established fact at this stage.
Where the Students Were Travelling
The students were reportedly travelling southwards from Sokoto to Oyo State.
Their destination was said to be the Oke-Ogun area, particularly Igboho, where the students were expected to return to their respective communities.
The journey highlights the risks faced by people travelling long distances across Nigeria, particularly along routes connecting the northern and southern parts of the country.
The reported movement of the abductors towards the Mokwa axis is also significant because Mokwa and surrounding parts of Niger State have experienced serious security challenges involving armed groups and attacks on travellers.
However, the exact location of the reported attack and the route taken by the abductors had not been independently established in the available official information.
No Official Confirmation Yet
As of Monday, no publicly available statement from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army or Sokoto State Government had independently confirmed the reported abduction.
Reports also indicated that attempts to obtain a response from the Oyo State Police Command were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
This means the incident remains a developing security story.
The available information currently comes primarily from local sources cited by news organisations reporting the incident.
That does not necessarily mean the reports are false, but it means readers should distinguish between locally sourced accounts and information formally confirmed by security authorities.
The distinction is particularly important in kidnapping cases, where premature publication of unverified information can cause distress for families and potentially complicate security operations.
Concern Over Students and Long-Distance Travel
The reported abduction has renewed concerns about the safety of students travelling between states.
Students attending tertiary and professional institutions frequently travel long distances to return home during academic breaks, holidays or periods when schools suspend activities.
For students from southern communities studying in northern Nigeria, journeys can involve crossing several states and passing through areas where security conditions can change rapidly.
A chartered bus arranged by an institution can provide organised transportation, but it does not eliminate the risks associated with travelling through vulnerable corridors.
The latest report therefore raises broader questions about security arrangements for interstate student transportation and the responsibility of institutions to assess risks along long-distance routes.
Wider Security Concerns
The reported incident comes at a time of renewed concern over kidnappings involving travellers in different parts of Nigeria.
Only days earlier, prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Ibadan towards orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom were reportedly abducted after gunmen attacked two buses in Imo State.
That incident was separate from the Sokoto-to-Oyo case, but both reports highlight the risks faced by Nigerians travelling between states.
The increasing use of roads by students, workers, corps members and other travellers means insecurity along major interstate corridors can have consequences beyond the immediate victims.
For families, a journey that would normally be routine can become a source of serious fear when travellers fail to arrive at their destinations.
Previous Oyo Kidnapping Crisis
The latest report also comes several months after Oyo State experienced a major school kidnapping crisis in Oriire Local Government Area.
In May 2026, armed attackers abducted pupils and teachers from schools in the area. Governor Seyi Makinde subsequently confirmed that seven secondary school students, 18 primary school pupils and seven teachers had been abducted, while one teacher had been killed.
The victims were later rescued following a prolonged security operation, and the incident became one of the most significant school abduction cases in the state in 2026.
The earlier incident is relevant context but should not be confused with the latest reported attack.
The May kidnapping involved schools in Oyo State, while the current report concerns students of a health technology college in Sokoto travelling to their home communities in Oyo State.
The two incidents involve different circumstances and should be treated separately.
Families Await Information
For the families of the reported victims, the immediate priority is obtaining reliable information about the whereabouts and condition of their relatives.
The absence of publicly released names makes it difficult to independently establish the identities of those reportedly abducted.
Families may also face significant uncertainty if communications with the victims have been lost.
In kidnapping cases, security agencies generally require accurate information about the victims, location and circumstances of an attack before determining the most appropriate response.
For that reason, official confirmation and coordinated communication will be important as the authorities investigate the report.
Why the Incident Matters
The reported abduction is significant because it involves students travelling as a group in a chartered vehicle between two distant parts of Nigeria.
If confirmed, the incident would demonstrate the continuing vulnerability of road travellers on routes connecting northern and southern states.
It would also raise questions about the protection of students and other organised groups undertaking interstate journeys.
Beyond the immediate security implications, repeated attacks on travellers can affect education, commerce and mobility.
Students may become reluctant to travel to institutions located far from their home states. Families may also face additional financial and logistical burdens when trying to arrange safer transportation.
For institutions, the issue could increase pressure to review transportation arrangements and security assessments for students travelling during holidays or academic breaks.
The Importance of Verified Information
The circumstances surrounding the incident demonstrate why accurate reporting is particularly important during kidnapping cases.
The first reports about the victims reportedly contained confusion over the institution they attended. Later accounts clarified that they were students of Gamji College of Health Technology rather than Usmanu Danfodiyo University.
Similarly, the figure of about 18 abducted students has been attributed to sources familiar with the incident rather than an official security agency.
The reported killing of the driver has also not yet been independently confirmed through an official statement.
Weng Global therefore distinguishes between what sources have reported and what authorities have formally confirmed.
This approach is especially important because inaccurate casualty or victim figures can cause additional distress for families and communities.
What Authorities Need to Establish
Several important questions remain unanswered.
Authorities will need to establish the exact location where the bus was intercepted, the identities and number of students aboard, the circumstances surrounding the driver’s reported death and the direction in which the abductors moved.
Investigators will also need to determine whether the attack was carried out by organised bandits, another criminal group or unidentified armed assailants.
The available reports describe the attackers as suspected bandits or terrorists, but the identity and affiliation of the perpetrators have not been independently established.
The distinction matters because assigning responsibility without evidence can create confusion and potentially undermine ongoing investigations.
What Happens Next
The immediate priority is expected to be efforts to establish the whereabouts of the reported victims and secure their safe release.
Security agencies will also be expected to investigate the reported attack and determine what happened to the bus and its driver.
Further information from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, the governments of Oyo, Sokoto and Niger states, or the students’ institution could provide greater clarity.
The families of the students will also require timely and reliable communication from the authorities.
Until such confirmation is provided, reports concerning the number of abducted students, the driver’s death and the alleged movement of the kidnappers towards Mokwa should remain clearly attributed.
Conclusion
About 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, have reportedly been abducted while travelling by chartered bus to their communities in Oyo State, according to local sources cited in current reports.
The same accounts allege that the attackers killed the bus driver before taking the students away and reportedly moved towards the Mokwa axis.
However, the incident had not been independently confirmed by the police or military as of Monday, October 5, and the exact number of victims and circumstances of the reported driver’s death remain subject to verification.
The reported incident highlights the continuing security risks faced by Nigerians travelling long distances by road and the particular vulnerability of students returning home from institutions outside their states.
For now, the most important development is the effort to establish the facts and, if the abduction is confirmed, secure the safe return of the students.
Families and communities affected by the report will be watching closely for verified updates from security authorities.
Weng Global — Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Vanguard
- Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto
- Nigeria Police Force
- Nigerian Army
- National Health and regulatory records
- Naija News
