A female undergraduate of Plateau State University, Bokkos, has been abducted by suspected kidnappers, while another person was reportedly shot during a night attack on an off-campus student neighbourhood in Plateau State.
The incident, which occurred at about 8:40pm on Saturday in Bokkos Local Government Area, has renewed concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university’s premises.
A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the abducted victim was a 100-level student who had gone out with another female student when the attackers struck.
He said the victim had not been seen since the incident and appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts to secure her release.
A university staff member, also speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly, confirmed that the institution had received reports of a shooting in an off-campus residential area.
He described the development as the second security incident involving the university’s off-campus community within four weeks.
The staff member stressed that although the attack did not take place within the university campus, the management was worried about the safety of students living in neighbouring communities.
He said the administration, under Vice-Chancellor Prof. Shadrack Best, had been working to provide accommodation within the campus to reduce students’ exposure to security risks.
He, however, disclosed that the university could currently accommodate only about 1,000 students in its hostels because of financial limitations, despite having a student population of nearly 20,000.
The university official acknowledged the contributions of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund to infrastructure development, but said more support was needed to expand accommodation and strengthen security arrangements for students.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Plateau State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesman, SP Alfred Alabo, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
