The Nigerian Optometric Students' Association (NOSA) — 9th September, 2026

NOSA condemns this attack and demands the immediate, safe release of Spencer and Chioma.

Official Statement

The National Executive Council of the Nigerian Optometric Students' Association (NOSA) strongly condemns the fatal attack and abduction that occurred inside the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), on Sunday, the 6th of September 2026. We condemn, in the strongest terms, the killing of an innocent parent and the abduction of our colleague, Spencer Jennifer Adaeze, a 300 level Optometry student, and we stand in full solidarity with the family of Chioma Lilian Igwegbe, a recent Biology graduate of FUTO, who was taken alongside Spencer in the same attack.

This was a violent and cowardly act, carried out inside a federal institution of learning, in broad daylight, against unarmed students and a parent who was simply trying to protect his children. NOSA rejects, unreservedly, the normalization of such attacks on our campuses, and we will not be silent while our members are made to fear for their lives on the grounds where they are meant to learn.

Who Is Spencer Jennifer Adaeze

Spencer Jennifer Adaeze is a 300 level student in FUTO's Department of Optometry, and a valued member of the NOSA-FUTO chapter and, by extension, of NOSA's national community. Her abduction has been felt deeply across optometry schools nationwide, as students everywhere recognise that what happened to Spencer could, in the current security climate, happen to any of them.

What Happened

On Sunday, the 6th of September 2026, at approximately 5:00pm, gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked the axis leading to the TETFund and NDDC hostels, inside FUTO. A father, present on campus to see his children, was shot dead while attempting to protect them from abduction. In the chaos that followed, the attackers turned on a nearby bus carrying passengers who had witnessed the shooting. Spencer Jennifer Adaeze and Chioma Lilian Igwegbe were both taken. As of this release, both remain in captivity.

Response So Far

Following the attack, FUTO's management engaged the Imo State Police Command, and security patrols have since been reinforced, including at the exact location where the shooting occurred. Bush clearing along the affected axis has also commenced. Students were given a one-day pause from academic activities before being required to resume examinations.

NOSA has been in close and continuous contact with Spencer's family, with Chioma's family, and with relevant stakeholders working toward a safe resolution for both young women. We continue to press security agencies for a rescue effort with the urgency this situation demands, for both Spencer and Chioma alike.

We are grateful for the national attention this case has drawn, and for the concern shown by Nigerians across the country. We thank everyone who has stood with the victims this week.

We renew our appeal to the public to avoid circulating unverified details, particularly anything relating to ongoing negotiations, as this could endanger the lives of both young women and compromise efforts toward their safe return.

Contact Us

For media inquiries, or anyone able to assist in efforts toward their safe return, please contact:

Comr. Nicholas Ayotunde Oke 

National President, NOSA 

09034351923 

nosanigeria9@gmail.com

Signed, 

Nicholas Oke, National President