Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
About 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto State, have reportedly been abducted while travelling to their hometowns in Oyo State, with the driver of their chartered bus allegedly killed during the attack.
The incident reportedly occurred within the past 48 hours along the route to Oyo State, according to a report by SaharaReporters published on Monday, October 5, 2026.
The students were reportedly travelling from Sokoto to the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State, particularly Igboho, in a bus arranged by their institution to convey them to their respective communities.
A youth leader from Oke-Ogun, who spoke to SaharaReporters, confirmed the incident and clarified that the victims were students of Gamji College of Health Technology and not students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, as had earlier been reported.
According to the youth leader, the vehicle was intercepted by suspected terrorists, who allegedly killed the driver before taking the students into captivity.
He said the abductors and the students had reportedly moved towards the Mokwa axis.
The youth leader also said the bus driver's remains were buried on Saturday, although details surrounding his death and burial could not immediately be independently verified.
Other sources familiar with the incident reportedly put the number of abducted students at about 18.
The students were said to have been travelling in a chartered bus arranged by the college for their journey from Sokoto to their home communities in Oyo State.
The reported abduction has raised fresh concerns over the safety of students and other travellers using long-distance routes linking northern and southern parts of the country.
As of Monday, there was no publicly available official statement from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army or the Sokoto State Government independently confirming the reported abduction, the death of the driver or the precise number of students taken.
The identities of the abducted students and details of their current condition were also not immediately available.
The report comes amid renewed concerns over attacks on travellers and the abduction of young Nigerians on interstate journeys.
It also follows the recent abduction of prospective National Youth Service Corps members travelling from Ibadan to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. That separate incident occurred in Imo State on October 1, with security agencies continuing efforts to rescue those still in captivity.
For the Sokoto-to-Oyo incident, however, the available information remains based primarily on local sources cited by SaharaReporters, and further confirmation from security authorities is expected.
Families and communities of the affected students are now awaiting information on their whereabouts and efforts to secure their safe release.
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