UI says kidnapped student did not notify university of travel plans

The management of the University of Ibadan has said that the 300-level female law student who was reportedly abducted while returning from a religious conference in Imo State left the institution without officially informing the university of her travel plans.

Third Lens gathered that the student was abducted last Sunday while returning from a religious trip to Imo State.

The institution’s Director of Public Relations, Mrs. Joke Akinpelu, confirmed that the university was aware of the incident.

According to Akinpelu, the incident occurred on Saturday, adding that the victim, identified as Tomisin, was the only University of Ibadan student involved, contrary to reports suggesting that eight UI students had been abducted.

“The student left the university without officially notifying the institution of her destination,” she said at the weekend according to The Nation.

In the same vein, the University of Ibadan Students’ Union Government (SUG) confirmed that Tomisin, a 300-level student of the Faculty of Law, was abducted alongside seven other travellers while returning to Ibadan after attending the Scripture Union National Conference held at the Camp of Faith, Okigwe, Imo State.

The President of the UI SUG, Temidayo Adeboye, disclosed that the victim was travelling with the National General Director of the Scripture Union Student Fellowship, Uwem Cosmos, and other conference participants when communication with the group was lost. He clarified that only one student of the University of Ibadan was among those declared missing.

According to him, Tomisin is the National Secretary of the Scripture Union Student Fellowship, Nigeria, and the Vice President of the fellowship’s University of Ibadan chapter.

“The union has initiated the necessary engagements to ascertain the facts surrounding the situation and has established contact with relevant religious organisations and security agencies to facilitate appropriate intervention,” Adeboye said.

“We wish to clarify that reports claiming that eight University of Ibadan students are missing are inaccurate. Tomisin is the only University of Ibadan student currently unaccounted for in the incident,” he added.

Adeboye further revealed that concerns over the student’s whereabouts heightened after she failed to sit for her faculty examinations scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. He also noted that another University of Ibadan student from the Department of Music who attended the same conference had returned safely to campus.