Although the three final year students of Law at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, who were abducted last week have been freed, the campus is still enveloped in fear. There are accusations and counter-accusations between the management and students over insecurity on the campus. Students are sad that bandits, who ply the Abuja-Kaduna Road, have extended their dragnet to them. ABIODUN JAMIU, 200-Level Political Science student, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) reports:
For students of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, it was sweet relief when the news of the release of their abducted colleagues filtered in. Their joy knew no bounds.
Despite the euphoria that greeted the release, there is papable fear of insecurity in the air.
Though the management said it has put a new system in place to tackle insecurity, some students, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said there are still unreported cases of petty theft, robbery and sexual harassments, among others, on campus.
Maryam Bello, Umar Sagir, and Fatima Jalingo – all final year students of Law – were kidnapped alongside others on their way to Zaria from Abuja, where they had gone to raise funds for a dinner to be hosted by their colleagues.
Painfully, families of the abductees admitted that they paid hefty ransom, contrary to a police report that no amount was paid and that the release was due to their effort.
Though the management claimed to have provided some logistics support in rescuing them, it blamed the trio for not obtaining approval from the authority before embarking on the ill-fated journey.
The management’s position was supported by ABU Students’ Representative Council (SRC), which said students were supposed to get permits before stepping out of the campus.
Students of ABU, who spoke to CAMPUSLIFE, said it was about time the management improved the university’s security. They called on the government to rise up to the challenge posed by insecurity which has made them easy targets for bandits on the Abuja-Kaduna Road, almost daily.
Will this ever end? ABU students ask
Contrary to the management’s claim, a 200-Level student of Social Studies, Alade Jamiu (not real name), argued that security on campus was not tight during the late hours compared to daytime. More worrisome, according to Jamiu, is that students caught committing atrocities are given a slap on the wrist.
He said: “There are petty thefts in the hostels. There is no regard for place of worship. Management treats with kid gloves students who have committed one infraction or another. The next moment, you see such students back on campus and having a swell time.’’
Jamiu chided some security officials for going out of their way to harass female students, in the guise of conducting security checks.
“At night, they (security) don’t do their work as they should. Imagine a security official putting on mufti and chasing girls all over the place,” he said
A student of Chemistry Education, who simply identified himself as Bola, supported Jamiu.
“Security on campus is still porous to some extent,” Bola argued.
“Most students may think that the security (on campus) is fit, but there are cases of petty theft here and there. There is no strict measure against theft in hostels. Moreover, there is no strict law on whosoever enters the school by foot; there are elements that can easily bypass the security and unleash mayhem on students.”
Muhammad Yahaya, a third year Political Science student, also agreed with the duo, albeit with a little digression.
“Security in ABU is fairly good. They (management) just need to recruit more security officials”.
He continued: “Although I have never lived off campus, I hear cases of phone snatching, robbery and sexual harassment.”
Yahaya noted that students who live in houses around the school, especially in Samaru, where the institution is located, appear most vulnerable.
Olayemi Sulaiman, 300-Level student of Economics, lamented that kidnapping in ABU have become a recurring decimal, with the Abuja-Kaduna Highway as a major hideout for criminals.
According to him, many of his colleagues have escaped kidnapping, robberies and other forms of atrocities on that route by a hair’s breath.
“Here in Ahmadu Bello University, threats of kidnapping and armed robbery have become a major fear among students who travel to or from school. It is quite shameful to hear that students are at the receiving end of the failure of the authorities to tame insecurity.
A final year Mass Communication undergraduate Tijani Hassan, noted that the security situation on Kaduna-Abuja Highway has became more complicated in recent times, putting the lives and properties of students and workers at stake.
He said: “The security situation along Kaduna-Abuja highway has become alarming in the past one year. However, sadly, we (students) have also become the latest victims. Our parents will have to desperately look for money as ransom for criminals that have now turned their attention on us.”
He continued: “If not that the parents of the abducted students were able to get money, who knows what might have happened to them? These are students preparing to leave for Law School. It would have been a total disaster not only for ABU, but the whole country.”
For Uthman Isa, a final-year student of Law, the rising wave of killing and kidnappings must have political undertones; the more reason it has become difficult to tame.
“The scourge of insecurity ravaging the country is, to a very large extent, coloured with politics that one would wonder why it has become very difficult for the government to find solutions.”
Isa pleaded for government’s openness in the fight against insecurity. He urged a reform of the country’s security apparatus, asking the masses to continue to challenge the authorities that hold the nation’s security in trust for them.
Umar Aisha, another 200-Level student of Political Science, called on the authorities to tackle the hostility along Kaduna-Abuja highway head on.
She said: “The security situation in the country is very scary. I call on the authorities concerned to take a serious measure on this Kaduna-Abuja highway because things are getting out of hand. The volume of crimes being committed on that route is quite unfortunate.”
Olayemi said the scourge is aided by the unstable economy, coupled with high rate of unemployed youths.
Vigilance, the watchword, says management
The university’s Director, Public Affair Dr Ismai’la Shehu, has reiterated management’s unending battle against insecurity on and off the school’s campuses.
Shehu recalled how the management rose to the occasion, despite that the three kidnapped ABU students ‘ trip was illegal.
“Ours is to reassure ourselves as parents that the security of our students is key,” Shehu noted.
“When they (students) are going on any official trip, we always ensure they are given adequate protection. For instance, if they are going on excursion or to any other place that has to do with their academics, we provide them with security.
“Those who were kidnapped went on their own volition. I’m sure you know the (insecurity) situation in the country; and the university is also a part of the larger society. Despite that they went on their own, the university played a major role in securing their freedom. We could not have disowned them simply because of their action. Management had to join hands with the stakeholders and the efforts yielded their freedom.”
Shehu said aside the school having a competent security unit, students should be vigilant.
“There is a security unit that works 24/7 to ensure security of lives and properties in the university campuses. That on a routine.
“We have a reasonable number of security personnel, well trained to combat insecurity. But the general thing is to be watchful and security conscious. The dean, students’ affairs and university management always enlighten the students on the need to be security conscious.”
Official permission a must, says SRC
Corroborating the management, SRC President, Usman Waziri, noted that the permission from the school is a must, if students must embark on an official journey.
Waziri said: “There are students who travel from school for excursions, competitions and all that. There are also students who travel from their parents’homes to visit siblings, friends or for mere partying.
“For those in the second category, the Students’ Union and the university will not be held responsible. However, for those travelling from school, they need to apply for approval letters from the management. Once this is done, the university will direct one or two security officials to accompany them all through the journey.‘’
Waziri added that both management and SRC offer security tips to students at the beginning of every session.
He continued: ‘’At the beginning of every session, we usually have what we call a Central University Orientation. It is a forum where management educate students in every area of their lives, including how to safeguard their personal effects in and off campus.
“Generally, the security situation on campus is quite impressive. We have a security unit that is up to the task. We also have local hunters who monitor the periphery of the university. Management has also mounted a police post in ABU Phase 2, all to complement security.
“For an individual to come into the campus, you must show evidence of your studentship.’’