An attempt by suspected herdsmen to break into a major hostel at the University of Jos has left at least one student dead.
The deceased, Shedrach Kums, a 300-level law undergraduate, was among the scores of students trying to beat back the attackers at the gate of Village Hostel when he was fatally shot.
The university’s student’s union president, Fwangshak Pantu, who stated this Monday, said three others, comprising a student and two villagers near the school, were critically injured and were receiving treatment at the hospital.
The state’s Police Commissioner, Undie Adie, denied knowledge of the attack Monday but Pantu demanded an immediate response from both the police and school authorities against similar incidents in the future while narrating the students’ ordeal on Sunday afternoon.
He said: “It was around 3:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday that some Fulani herdsmen tried to invade the Village Hostel, where male, female and some physically challenged students live. The students quickly mobilised towards the gates to prevent them from coming in.
Pantu said he immediately alerted the school authorities, who said they would call the police and other security agencies to prevent killing.
“But two hours after I called, the police or any other security agencies did not arrive at the scene, but the students managed to respond and push the herdsmen back.
“Unfortunately, we lost Shedrach Kums, even though he was among those who responded to the attack and tried to keep other students safe,” he lamented.
According to Pantu, the remains of Mr Kums were evacuated for burial by his parents Monday morning.
Aside from Benue and Taraba, Plateau is another state in central Nigeria that has witnessed deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen.
Over 2,000 deaths linked to suspected herdsmen have been recorded across the region this year alone.
While residents have reported relative peace in Benue and Taraba in recent weeks following multiple deployments of security forces by the federal government, attacks on villages in Plateau State have continued.
Some of the deaths have come through reprisal attacks between traditional dwellers and herdsmen seeking to graze their cattle in the state’s lush vegetation.
Pantu acknowledged clashes between villagers and herdsmen, in which citizens of northern origin were being indiscriminately targeted, but said he did not expect the violence to be taken into the school campus.
“On no account should they bring violence to our school, we are not a part of the ongoing killings. We call on the police to act immediately and decisively,” he said.
The police commissioner, while categorically denying ever confirming the attack as some media outlets have claimed, said he would make further findings about the attack on the university students.
