- Police say campuses and environs fortified
IT is near panic on both campuses as well as the Senior Staff Quarters of the University of Abuja Tuesday evening following the seeming absence of arm-bearing security personnel hours after the university’s Senior Staff Quarters in Giri were invaded by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
When National Record visited the senior staff quarters, the mini and main campuses of the university Tuesday afternoon, there were few uniformed police personnel posted at the gates with no indication of security men deep inside the campuses or around the residences of staff.
By evening, our checks indicated that the few police presence at the campuses and staff quarters disappeared leading to complaints and question by students and staff alike on their safety.
According to a female student resident on the main campus, apart from a message from the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, assuring students and staff to go about their normal activities but ensuring that everyone is kitted with ID cards, there is no obvious security presence.
The student, who pleaded anonymity for fear of persecution, said while some people say there are security personnel, a reason why the Vice Chancellor made bearing of ID card compulsory, other are of the view that the police only appeared briefly and disappeared. She was not sure if there are plain clothed police officers posted to the campus.
The Vice Chancellors message, posted at about 7:40am, reads: “My dear University Community, They brought their devastation to our Giri Quarters and we are pursuing them with all it takes to recovers our dearest ones they kidnapped. Our nation is definitely bleeding and this is too close home for us! Please pray hard for God’s intervention. One thing is certain, we shall continue to mobilize everything available to us to protect staff and students and ensure this NEVER happen again.
“From now on, it is compulsory for staff and students to wear their official UmiAbuja (sic) ID cards when entering ANY of our campuses including the Giri Quarters. The Safety Unit has my instruction to turn anyone back who cannot explain their mission on our campus, Quarters or any UniAbuja branches even if they claim to be staff or students, only University ID card worn on them is a quaranty (sic) for entry.
“We shall overcome!
“AbdulRasheed”
When contacted via sms and WhatsApp, the university’s spokesperson, Dr Habib Yaqoob did not respond to the inquiry on the lack of security personnel as at the time of going to press.
However, in an early conversation with National Record on the news being circulated in the social media, especially on WhatsApp, that the six abducted persons had been rescued in Abaji; Dr Yaqoob did not dismiss it but simply said: “I can’t confirm that to you.”
Asked if the school was in touch was the police, he said: “We haven’t gotten any report from them. That’s what I can say with regard to that.”
When confronted on the discrepancies in the number of abductees being quoted by the university and that by the police and asked to give an accurate figure, Dr Yaqoob responded: “At this stage, does the number really matter? I think what’s important is that some of our staff were abducted; so for now I think we should bother about that instead of the number.” He however referred our correspondent to the university’s Facebook page for the authentic number of abductees.
Fresh Details of the Attack
National Record had early Tuesday morning broke the news on the invasion of the university’s Senior Staff Quarters in Giri, located along Abuja-Lokoja dual carriageway by yet unknown gunmen on the night of Monday.
Although sources had told our correspondent that about six or seven persons were abducted, the abductees were later confirmed to be six.
Among those abducted were a professor of Economics, Obansa Joseph, with two of his children initially; Emma, a lawyer and the other, Fidelis, a medical doctor. The suspected bandits subsequently freed the medical doctor and went away with the lawyer and his father.
Another target of the invaders is said to be Prof Bassey escaped while the suspected bandits were struggling to breakdown his main security door. Prof Bassey allegedly had his last child, a little boy, and daughter, doctor who is said to be studying in Europe but came home to perfect some documents. She was allegedly beaten to a stupor for attempting to escape.
Another abductee is a former Deputy Registrar but now working with NIMET, Mallam Sambo, whose wife is still with the University of Abuja.
FCT Police React
The FCT police, contrary to the situation on the campuses and staff quarters claim that they have fortified security in and around the university.
In a press release entitled: “Police Fortify Security in and Around the University of Abuja” and signed by DSP Josephine Adeh, Police Public Relations Officer, on behalf of the FCT Commissioner of Police, Babaji Sunday, reassured residents of the FCT of safety and protection of lives and property.
The release reads: “The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, CP Babaji Sunday has dispatched additional tactical and conventional policing resources to the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) main and satellite campuses as well as the staff quarters and other affiliate formations of the university, to fortify security, improve public safety and protect citizens in and around the university community.
“The CP gave the order following report that some yet to be identified armed criminals invaded the UNIABUJA Staff Quarters located at the GIRI area of the FCT in the early hours of today, 2nd November, 2021.
“The CP noted that a combined team of the Police and personnel of the Nigerian Army 176 Guards Battalion were swiftly mobilized to the area to protect the citizens. Preliminary investigations however revealed that six (6) persons were allegedly abducted into the forest by the criminals on sighting the security operatives.
“The CP, while calling for calm, further noted that the security forces are already working with the locals in the area toward rescuing the victims. He assured that the perpetrators would be arrested and brought to book.
“On this note, the Command pledges its undeterred resolve to ensure lives and properties of residents within the FCT are protected and urge them to report all suspicious movements, emergency or distress, through these numbers: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883.”
