The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kwara State Command, has confirmed the rescue of a 19-year-old student from Abubakar Audu University, Ayangba, Kogi State, who was found wandering naked in Ilorin.
The victim, identified as Fauziyah Muhammed, a 400-level English Education undergraduate, was reportedly kidnapped on Sunday morning in Ayangba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
She was allegedly hypnotized by her captors and later abandoned in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Dr. Umar Muhammed, the NSCDC Commandant in Kwara State, revealed during a press briefing that Fauziyah was discovered by residents of the Ajegunle-Isale community along Egbejila Road on Monday morning.
The incident, which occurred between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday, has left the community in shock.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the abduction and subsequent abandonment of the student.
Meanwhile, Fauziyah is receiving care, and efforts are ongoing to unravel the mystery behind her ordeal.
The commandant said that “Fauziyah was wandering about the community naked” adding that the residents seized and handed her over to the NSCDC officer, Afolayan, who later mustered the command’s support.
He said, “Fauziyah is no longer coherent in speech, suggesting her horrible experiences while with the kidnappers.
“She was found naked while some Good Samaritans in Ajegunle Isale, Egbejila Road, Ilorin provided her with clothes and we as a command have tried to comfort her.
“We have briefed Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq about her plight and the governor being a father has promised to assist us with fuel to return her to Kogi tomorrow,” he added.
During an interview, Fauziyah said she did not know how she got to Kwara State from Kögi State, but recalled: “One of the books I carried dropped and as I made to pick it, I lost consciousness.”
The commandant said that the command was set to release her to one Mallam Salihu Aliu who claimed to be her uncle and was delegated by the family to act on their behalf.
In another development, the command also paraded one Abu Usman Soja suspected to be an informant to some kidnappers who abducted three people including a woman and her two children in Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The NSCDC said that the kidnappers, now on the run, abducted the woman and her two children on November 7, 2024, and placed a ransom of N50m for their release.
According to the commandant, “The kidnappers demanded N50m ransom but later reduced it to N15m. The mother has been released while the kidnappers have escaped into the forest with the children.”