ATBU female students demand better security after robbery

Female students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi protested on Monday. They were upset after an armed robbery hit their hostel. The students are worried about their safety and want improved security on campus.

The students marched to the university’s Senate Building to voice their concerns. This protest followed an incident where suspected robbers broke into the female hostel on Sunday morning. They took away personal items, including mobile phones.

Fauziyya Abdullahi, one of the affected students, said the robbery left many feeling scared and anxious about what might happen next.
“Our main fear is if they come in here and march us out. We do not want to be another Chibok girls,” she said.

She continued, “We do not want to be used for campaigns. We do not want people to say she had a bright future. We want to stay here and live our bright future.

“So please, we cannot wait 45 minutes for security to drive from town to this place. One security woman here is not enough to protect all of us.”

Another student, Rejoice Duke, shared her experience. She said the attackers came into the hostel around 2 a.m. and broke into several rooms while threatening the students.
“Some guys came into the hostel and broke into different rooms. They were asking for your life or your phone. They were able to cart away valuables, including mobile phones,” she said.

In response to the robbery, the Vice-Chancellor of the university visited the hostel with some management team members. He called the robbery an unfortunate event.
The Head of the Directorate of Information, Zailani Bappah, spoke for the management. He promised that they would take steps to boost security on campus.

“The management will now sit and use the information at hand to further improve security surveillance,” he said.

The Bauchi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, also spoke about the incident. He said that the police have started an investigation to find and punish those responsible for the robbery.
He mentioned that this effort is part of the Safe School Initiative.

“We discovered that about eight rooms in the female hostel were burgled and about 20 mobile phones of different types were stolen,” the police spokesperson said.