By Armstrong Bakam
The management of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi has shut down the school following students’ protest over the killing of a 500-level student by suspected armed robbers who robbed him of his mobile phone. It had been earlier reported that the final year Geology student, Joseph Agabaidu, was stabbed by some assailants who were trying to steal his mobile phone. Agabaidu was said to be returning to his lodge situated around the Yelwan Tudu market in the Yelwa area, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis around 7pm on Saturday when he was attacked by the hoodlums. He was rushed to the hospital for medical attention but sadly, he 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.
Following the protest, the university management led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sani Kunya, and the state chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities tried to pacify the students who locked the two gates of the university for over four hours to open them, but they refused.
As a result of this “act of disrespect” by the students to the management, the school was shut down for the next one week in order to douse tension on the campus.
According to a statement by the Deputy Registrar Academic, Fatima Abdullahi, titled: “Closure of university,” the Vice Chancellor approved the closure of the institution.
