Iligan City—A composite team of police from Iligan City, Lanao del Norte and army soldiers have rescued four of the six Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology on Monday near the boundaries of Bacolod and Munai towns in Lanao del Norte.
The students were abducted Saturday night in Linamon town, Lanao del Norte.
Rescued were Juhari Gubat, Kevin Limpin, Hannah Yurong and Eloisa Lacson. Meanwhile, Berzon Rey Paeste from Zamboanga del Sur and Cid Rick Jamias from Tacurong City remain with their captors.
Iligan City Police Director Senior Supt. Edgar Daniel said the students were on board their vehicle on their way to Pagadian City, some five hours away, when they were blocked by armed men along the national highway.
The students were on their way to bring two of their schoolmates home to Maranding, in Lala town, and to Pagadian City. “They were flagged down by the suspects,” Daniel said.
The students were taken forcibly by the armed men, blindfolded and brought to an unknown, uphill and muddy area where they were separately interviewed about their parents’ jobs.
MSU-IIT-OPI, upon learning of the alleged disappearance and possible abduction of the group, the MSU-IIT-OPI alerted the MSU-IIT Security Chief Eduardito “Ditto” Maruhom and Atty. Alex Cabornay, head agent of the National Bureau of Investigation in Iligan City.
“In turn, Maruhom alerted the AFP 2nd Mechanized Brigade Intelligence Group, the PNP and the NBI Iligan office about the alleged disappearance of the students,” MSU-IIT-OPI said.
Authorities said as of this writing that military intelligence indicated that the abducted students were brought to Munai, Lanao del Norte.
