On December 2, 2025, unidentified gunmen abducted five students from their off-campus student residence at Rivers State University’s satellite campus in Emuoha Local Government Area.

Following the abduction, students from the university appealed to the university to relocate them to the main campus in Port Harcourt for safety. On December 4, 2025, the police tactical teams and other security agency teams rescued the students unharmed.

This incident appears to fit a pattern of attacks and kidnappings targeting schools and universities in Nigeria. Sources have frequently described groups of “bandits” kidnapping students and staff in pursuit of ransom.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the abduction of higher education students. State authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of scholars, students, and staff, including by investigating and holding perpetrators of such acts responsible, in line with international human rights standards. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, kidnappings that target members of the higher education community undermine the conditions needed for the meaningful exercise of the right to education and academic freedom.

Sources:
https://punchng.com/five-abducted-rivers-varsity-students-regain-freedom/
https://punchng.com/police-hunt-abductors-as-five-rivers-varsity-students-freed/
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/12/gunmen-kidnap-5-rivers-varsity-students-14-bus-passengers-in-imo/