Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have ambushed a chartered vehicle along a major highway, killing the driver and abducting at least 18 students from the Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto. The victims, who are indigenes of the Oke-Ogun zone in Oyo State, were traveling home for academic holidays when the tragic incident occurred.

The heavily armed attackers reportedly intercepted the commercial bus within the past 48 hours, catching the passengers off guard. Witnesses stated that the assailants opened fire on the vehicle to force it to a halt, killing the commercial driver on the spot before marching the terrified students into the nearby forests.

Intelligence sources indicate that the kidnappers led the victims towards the Mokwa axis in Niger State, a region notorious for serving as a transit route for criminal gangs. Security agencies and local vigilante groups have reportedly been activated along the axis to track down the perpetrators and secure the safe release of the students.

The incident has triggered widespread panic among parents and regional associations. An Oke-Ogun youth leader confirmed the development, clarifying that the affected youths were indeed students of the health technology college and correcting earlier media speculations that falsely identified them as students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

However, conflicting narratives have emerged following the viral report. The management of Gamji College of Health Technology has come out to strongly deny the incident. The institution`s Registrar, Abdulrahman Bello, issued a statement declaring that all students of the college are safe and accounted for, labeling the viral kidnapping reports as entirely false and misleading.

Despite the school`s denial, regional youth groups and local sources maintain that the chartered bus departed Sokoto with Oyo-bound passengers who have yet to arrive at their destinations. Family members of the traveling students have expressed immense anxiety, urging security agencies to thoroughly investigate the route to verify the true situation.

Highway kidnappings targeting students and mass commuters have remained a critical security challenge across Nigeria`s northern and central transport corridors. Security experts continue to advise educational institutions and student unions to coordinate travel itineraries directly with security escorts to minimize vulnerability on volatile roads.

As at the time of filing this report, the police commands of the affected transit states have not released an official situation report. Joint security operations are expected to continue combing the border forests between Kwara, Niger, and Kogi states to locate the missing vehicle and its occupants.