By ARMSTRONG ALAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, has condemned the killing of a 500 level student of the institution by assailants while trying to steal his phone.
Recall that the final year Geology student, Joseph Agabaidu, who hails from Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State but based in Benue State and the eldest among four children of his family who school at ATBU, Bauchi, was stabbed by some assailants while trying to steal his mobile phone
He was said to be returning to his lodge situated around the Yelwan Tudu market in the Yelwa area, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis, at about 7.00pm on Saturday, when he was attacked and was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment but could not survive the severe injuries from the knife.
The incident sparked a protest among students of the school, who came out in their numbers at the Yelwa Campus. They came out to express their anger at the inadequate security in and around the campus and to call for the attention of the management and the government.
But fierce-looking Policemen from the Yelwa Divisional Headquarters and the Rapid Response Squad, who were drafted in seven vehicles to ensure peace at the gate, dispersed the students by firing teargas at them.
They also arrested a student who was allegedly videoing them when they were firing the teargas and took him away on a motorcycle. He was later released after the students who locked the two gates of the institution for over three hours insisted that their schoolmate must be freed.
But speaking with our Correspondent, the ASUU Chairman, who was there for over two hours trying to calm the students down, condemned the deployment of security agents with arms to the institution.
He said: “It’s very unfortunate, we’ve been losing students and I think the students were trying to register their grievances about issues around the university community. We just hope and pray that it will be resolved amicably.
“We’ve been having security challenges on campus. This incident happened outside the campus but he’s still a student. Some of us were not happy when we saw security men (Police in about seven Hilux vans), with arms.
“Immediately, we called the attention of the university management that they should treat it with caution so that it doesn’t escalate to a different level. Unfortunately, it has happened but we hope that it will be contained.
On the initial arrest of the student, he said: “Initially, they denied it, I engaged the senior officers of the Police there, they swore to God that they didn’t arrest any student but the students stood their ground, but thank God, they later released him.”
He said that ASUU’s stand on security has been the same, “we have challenges and we are still calling on the university management to address these challenges.”
Ibrahim added that: “Security challenges within the university community, I think, are beyond the control of the university. We are calling on the state government to beef up security so that issues like this will be contained.
“We are in pain about what happened. I want to use this medium to condole the family of the deceased student and we pray and hope that an incident like this will never happen again.”
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