OAU Chemistry Student Dorcas Oseghale Missing Amid Nigeria’s Ongoing Abduction Crisis

Authorities are searching for Dorcas Oseghale, a Chemistry student at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), who was last seen on August 7, 2025.

Her disappearance adds to a grim list of student abductions in Nigeria, from the 2014 Chibok kidnapping of 276 girls—where only 57 escaped initially—to the 2021 Jangebe raid that saw 317 girls abducted.

Security experts warn that such cases often bear the hallmarks of armed groups like Boko Haram, with a 2022 UN study estimating that over 1,600 students have been abducted nationwide since 2014, underscoring Nigeria’s chronic security gaps.

OAU is working with Osun State Police in the search, but limited manpower poses a challenge. A 2023 World Bank report found Nigeria has just 0.2 police officers per 1,000 people, far below the UN’s recommended 2.2—hampering rapid response and coverage in rural and semi-urban areas.

Dorcas’ disappearance has sparked anxiety on campus and renewed calls for better protection of students, as fears grow over the possibility of another mass abduction tragedy.