Protest erupts in Lafia as gunmen kidnap university students

Students of Federal University Lafia (FULafia) have taken to the streets to protest the continuous kidnapping of fellow students by unknown gunmen.

kidnappers launched an attack on an off-campus lodge at Gandu, within the vicinity of FULafia, and abducted a yet to be ascertained number of students.

The incident took place on Wednesday.

Sources revealed that the kidnappers stormed the off-campus residence, seizing an undisclosed number of students while shooting into the air.

Expressing their outrage and concern over the escalating insecurity, students of FULafia took to the streets on Thursday, holding placards bearing various inscriptions like, ‘Student Lives Matter’, ‘A cry for one is a cry for all’, etc., and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of their kidnapped peers, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

The protesters also called for an end to the persistent insecurity plaguing the university environment, expressing their frustration with the ongoing threats to their safety.

They asserted that they have reached a breaking point and can no longer tolerate the prevailing security challenges in the area.

One of the protesters, Josephine, who spoke with us, stated that officials of the state government have turned deaf ears to their plight because they are not related to any of them.

“This thing is getting worse, everyday. Who knows if they will start entering the school hostels to kidnap students?

“The so-called Governor knows about it but he kept mute and did nothing, because we’re not his children or family members.

“We remember our Vice-Chancellor, Professor Shehu Abdul Rahman, inviting the governor to the school and nothing has changed yet. We need our kidnapped students back,” she said.

Another student, Osanga Jacob, accused the Nigerian Police of being a party to the crime for interrupting their peaceful protest.

“If the men of the Nigeria Police can come and start brutalizing us during a peaceful protest, it shows they are greatly involved in these kidnapping cases.”

Officers of the Nigeria Police were said to have been deployed to the university to restore law and order and address the rising concerns of the students and staff.

Gandu community, close to the permanent site of FULafia, houses hundreds of students and staff members.