Operatives of the Department of State Services have rescued Prof. Samuel Okunsebor, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University, Keffi, nearly 48 hours after gunmen snatched him from his home.
Okunsebor was abducted around midnight on Wednesday at Mile Uku, a border community between Lafia and Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Areas. The attackers reportedly stormed the area in the early hours of the day.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, DSS officers tracked the kidnappers through intelligence-led operations and found the professor at about 3 p.m. on Friday.
He was handed over to family members with senior university officials present, including NSUK Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kitso Ngbargu. From there, Okunsebor was taken to the Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital for medical checks.
A senior university official who spoke on condition of anonymity said two people suspected to be behind the abduction have been arrested and are in DSS custody.
“The university is greatly indebted to the DSS for working round the clock to ensure the timely rescue of our amiable Dean,” the official said. “With how meticulously the Service prosecutes suspects, we have little doubt that both will have their day in court.”
The incident adds to recent security concerns around tertiary institutions in the state. In June, three students of the Federal University of Lafia were abducted from their residence near the university’s temporary campus in Akunza.
