The Sokoto State Government has clarified that a woman reportedly abducted by suspected terrorists in Niger State was a former student of a health institution in Sokoto and not one of the 18 students alleged to have been kidnapped.
The clarification followed a report claiming that 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, were abducted while travelling in a chartered bus from Sokoto to Oyo State.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Sokoto, Abubakar Bawa, described the report as false, saying no current student of the institution was abducted.
According to the state government, the individual involved is Halima Sokeni, a former student of Gamji College of Nursing Sciences, More Area, Sokoto State.
The government said Sokeni graduated as a midwife in September 2026 and was travelling home on October 1 when she and other passengers were allegedly abducted in Niger State.
The state government expressed concern that the inaccurate report could cause unnecessary panic among students, parents and members of the public, particularly amid heightened concerns over insecurity across northern Nigeria.
It urged journalists and media organisations to exercise greater caution when reporting security-related incidents, stressing the importance of verifying information before publication.
The government warned that unverified reports of mass abductions and terrorist attacks could create confusion, heighten public anxiety and negatively affect the reputation of institutions and government agencies.
It therefore called on members of the public to disregard the report alleging the abduction of 18 Gamji College of Health Technology students, insisting that the claim had no basis in fact.
