Five students of Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, who were kidnapped from the institution’s Emuoha satellite campus on Tuesday, have been rescued unharmed after a joint security operation.
The breakthrough came early Thursday when security operatives located the victims, who had been seized from their off-campus lodges by armed men suspected to be cult members.
Rivers State Police Command spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that the rescue took place in Rumuodogo 2, Emuoha LGA, through a coordinated effort involving police tactical teams, other security agencies, and community members.
She said all five undergraduates — four males and one female — were safely retrieved and immediately taken for medical checks. She added that efforts were ongoing to track down those behind the abduction.
The police statement read, “On 04/12/2025 at about 0100hrs, the five kidnapped victims — Prince London, Azubuike Kelechukwu, Elizabeth Aniete, Onyebuchi Precious, and London Sampson — abducted by unidentified cultists from their isolated residences, were successfully rescued unhurt.
“The operation was carried out at Rumuodogo 2 Community in Emuoha Local Government Area by the Command’s Tactical Teams, other security agencies, and community support.”
The Command noted that the victims were taken to a hospital for evaluation while a manhunt for the fleeing suspects remained underway.
The abductions had sparked immediate concern within the university.
On Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, while addressing agitated students, announced a temporary shutdown of academic activities at the Emuoha campus and instructed all students living in the area to vacate until security improves.
Earlier reports indicated that fear spread across the university community after gunmen stormed an off-campus hostel around 2 a.m., firing shots before abducting the five students.
A previous police update stated, “On 2nd December 2025 at about 0230hrs, suspected cultists, numbering about five, attacked an isolated area in Rumuche/Rumuohia Community, Emuoha LGA, shooting and whisking away five individuals to an unknown location.”
