Five students of the Rivers State University (RSU), Emohua Campus, who were abducted by yet-to-be-identified cultists in the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 2025, have been successfully rescued by the Rivers State Police Command.
The rescue operation, which involved collaborative efforts between the police and other security agencies, concluded early Thursday morning, bringing an end to the two-day ordeal for the students.
Grace Iringe-Koko, Superintendent of Police and Public Relations Officer for the Rivers State Police Command, confirmed the development in a statement released on Thursday.
“On 04/12/2025 at about 0100hrs, the five abducted victims—Prince London ‘M’, Azubuike Kelechukwu ‘M’, Elizabeth Aniete ‘F’, Onyebuchi Precious ‘M’, and London Sampson ‘M’ who were abducted by yet-to-be-identified cultists from their isolated residences, have been successfully rescued unhurt,” SP Iringe-Koko stated.
She further explained that the operation was executed at Rumudogo 2 Community in Emuoha Local Government Area of Rivers State by the command’s Tactical Teams, working closely with other sister security agencies and with crucial support from the local community.
The rescued students have since been taken to a hospital for medical examination, while police have intensified efforts to track down and apprehend the fleeing cultists and abductors.
In reaction to the successful operation, Olugbenga Adepoju, the state Commissioner of Police, issued a stern warning, stating he “will not rest until all those responsible are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.”
He called for continued synergy among all security stakeholders, community members, and the general public, assuring residents that their safety remains the priority of the command.
While commending the rescue, civil society groups quickly pointed to the incident as a stark indication of significant gaps in the region’s security architecture.
Tombari Dumka-kote, Chairman of the Rivers Indigenous NGOs and Civil Society Network and coordinator of the Rivers Response Team on Violence Against Women and Children, described the abduction as a “failure of the security set-up in the area.”
“It is sad that there was no military or police intelligence. Because if there was such, and it was utilized, before these strikes happen, the information would have been gotten by relevant security agencies,” Dumka-kote lamented.
He stressed the urgent need to beef up security, particularly around educational institutions, to prevent such an incident from recurring. Dumka-kote specifically called for internal reforms within the institutions themselves.
“What this implies is that the institutions themselves, it is time the internal security network of these institutions are reviewed to become more reliable,” he argued, advocating for the immediate installation of CCTV cameras to provide actionable footage and the establishment of internal security mechanisms capable of responding speedily within campuses, rather than relying solely on external checkpoints.
Dumka-kote also frowned upon the failure of existing security points along the road leading to the Emohua campus, noting that despite the presence of officers, there was “no interception. Nothing. They carried these children away successfully,” underscoring a critical flaw in operational effectiveness.
