After a long lull, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) has been gripped by fears, with explosions in a community populated by students. There was no report of any casualty when CAMPUSLIFE visited the scene, but four days later, a student was found dead on the campus.
Gwange is one of the host communities of the campus of the university. All was calm in the community last Wednesday evening as students returned from their daily routine.
Some were relaxing in their hostels after strenuous academic engagements; others were trekking to their abodes.
Suddenly, deafening reverberating explosions hit the community. The blasts were followed by sporadic shooting by men of the Joint Task Force (JTF). There was stampede as students and indigenes fled the scene for safety. The bombs were said to have been planted in a building occupied by indigenes of the community.
When the news got to Mairi, another host community of UNIMAID, which borders Gwange and where majority of students living off-campus reside, there was confusion. Students quickly left their hostels and moved, in their numbers, into the school for fear of being attacked. As they were moving to the campus, they called their colleagues to leave their rooms for safety on campus.
Last Sunday, occupants of Muritala Hall on the campus woke up to discover the body of a female student at a dumpsite behind the hostel. The deceased, whose name was given as Yeleruby Birgamus, was a 500-Level student of the Fisheries Department.
The incident heightened the fear of students, who were still dazed by the explosion that rocked the university’s host community.
The student was said to have left her hostel to read at night on Saturday but was found dead Sunday morning. A 200-Level female student, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “We woke up this morning to discover the wrapped body of the student dumped on this site. We saw beside her a Bible, a mobile phone and books, which made us understand that she was coming from night class. We had to notify the management, who in turn invited soldiers and medical personnel to evacuate the body.”
There were speculations that she might have been raped on her way back to the hostel but the Director of Information, Mr Mohammed Ahmad, said the rape story was false, confirming that Yelerubi’s death was suicide.
Speaking to our correspondent on telephone, Ahmad said: “The substances found with Yelerubi’s body showed that she committed suicide and the corpse had been handed over to the police.
“We discovered that she wrote some phone numbers with a message on a paper, which she placed in the Bible found with her lifeless body. The message read: ‘Call these people when I die and tell them that we shall meet there’. So, I can confirm to you that Yelerubi committed suicide.”
Ahmad declined to comment on Gwange bomb blast, saying it was outside the university’s jurisdiction.
When our correspondent visited the hostel of the deceased, one of her roommates, who pleaded anonymity, said the late Ruby may have died as a result of frustration.
“Ruby had complained to me several times that she was getting frustrated having spent seven years in school because of carry-overs that have prevented her graduation over the years,” the student said.
A student, who fled his Gwange residence, told CAMPUSLIFE: “I just returned from school and was contemplating on what to prepare for dinner when we heard multiple blasts. I rushed out of my room to know what was happening because it was unusual in the area. The sound of the explosion was reverberating and very close. Immediately, I sensed danger. I was still reflecting on what to do when I saw students running from all directions and heading towards Gate 5. At that point, I didn’t need to be told that there is fire on the mountain. I ran to my room, picked my bag and joined in the race to the school.”
The student, who is now seeking refuge in Ado Bayero Hall, added: “Due to the size of the Gate 5, there was a stampede as we all struggled to enter the small opening of the gate at the same time.”
At the sight of their fleeing colleagues, students living on campus were worried and confused because of fear of infiltration by Boko Haram members. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that those who went to read in lecture halls and classrooms returned to their rooms while various associations’ meetings scheduled for the night were cancelled.
At the time of this report, the commercial area on campus was still being occupied by the fleeing students.
A 300-Level student, who identified himself as Marvis, said he was writing his assignment in a classroom when he heard the explosions. “I heard 11 explosions within minutes; I rushed out of the class to know what was happening. Students in the adjoining classroom also ran out. I packed my books immediately and left for the hostel,” Marvis said.
Emeka Simon, a medical student, who was reading in a class when the incident happened, said he left the class with other students.
Narrating his experience to CAMPUSLIFE, a 100-Level student, James Chidozie, who lives off-campus, said he was riding in a taxi to his hostel when the bombs went off.
He said: “I was about to alight in front of the University Teaching Hospital when one of the soldiers attached to the hospital spotted our taxi and shot in our direction. He probably thought we were on a negative mission. The taxi sped off but the driver dropped me at a safe location and told me to trek back to the hospital.
“But for fear of stray bullets and the crisis in that area, I was confused because I didn’t know who or where to run to. Luckily for me, I met a lady, who spoke kindly to me. After listening to my predicament, she spoke to her parents and they allowed me to pass the night with them. Since I had no option, I passed the night with an unknown family.“
