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Tag: UNIMAID

  • Fear grips UNIMAID after Boko Haram attack

    Fear grips UNIMAID after Boko Haram attack

    University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) students are yet to recover from the shock of a Boko Haram attack in the Borno State capital a fortnight ago. They are calling on the government and the school to improve security around the campus. FALMATA KYARI AHMAD (300-Level Mass Communication) reports.

    Maiduguri, the Borno State capital – one of the epicentres of Boko Haram insurgency – came under a vicious attack by insurgents penultimate week. The attack left bloodshed and destruction in its wake. The armed insurgents invaded the city and opened fire on residents. The attack, which came after a lull, preceded Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s visit to the state.

    Days after terror, a pall of fear has enveloped the city, as the beleaguered residents still reel with apprehension. Members of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) community are also frightened, having witnessed a similar scene of horror last January when a suicide bomber invaded the campus to blow up the school’s central mosque.

    Although, the security situation is not new to members of the school, students are worried by the pockets of attack aimed at the campus by the Boko Haran insurgents. Tension is high among students and members of staff over the security measures on the campus.

    Some of the assailants, who previously carried out successful attacks on the campus, either disguised as students, or sneaked into the campus through the bush.

    Usman Maina, a 200-Level Biological Science student, said he is concerned about the measures put in place by the school authorities to secure the campus. According to him, the management must ensure there is no laxity in measures put in place to secure the campus.

    He said: “Some of the attacks on our campus were not expected, because security guards usually vet people coming into the campus through the usual entrances to the school. Despite that they verify Identity (ID) Cards or other means of identification before allowing the people in, suicide bombers and criminals still found their way into the campus. So, we don’t understand how the attackers find their way in to launch attacks.”

    Usman urged the school authorities to step up security screening of all vehicles visiting the campus, adding that the school security personnel must stop the habit of allowing VIP vehicles into the campus without being screened.

    He added: “Some students come into the school in VIP vehicles. They are allowed into the school without being subjected to security screening. This is a dangerous practice. The terrorists can easily come in through that way.”

    Reliving the last attack, Malam Amiruddeen Muhammad, an employee of the school, said he escaped being hit by stray bullet by the whiskers, as he left the school for his home.

    He said: “I was on my way home from work when I heard sporadic gunshots. Initially, I thought it was a military exercise, because soldiers usually do their training with gunshots and residents of Maiduguri are used to that. I discovered it was Boko Haram attack when I got to NNPC Depot Bus Stop, where I saw people running in different directions.

    “I had no option than turning back to the school immediately. I saw some of the Boko Haram terrorists in polo-shirts, shooting at residents. People from different parts of the town and those around Damboa Road fled for safety. It was traumatic for me, seeing so many wounded people.”

    Muhammad said the incident indicated that Boko Haram still posed a danger to the state, noting that the school is a constant target of Boko Haram attacks because of the sect’s abhorrence for western education. He urged security agencies to invest in intelligence gathering and sharing to nip potential attacks in the bud.

    Abdulfattah Usman, a 300-Level Language and Linguistics student, noted that suicide bombers found their way into the school because of sloppy security measure. He said security should be strengthened at strategic points around the school, noting that securing only Gate One of the school will be counterproductive to efforts being made by the school.

    He said: “I would advice that surveillance cameras be mounted in all important locations on campus so that people entering and leaving can be monitored. There should be an electronic alert gadget that will alert security men,whenever a bomb is been planted.”

    Mustapha Modu Bama, a Postgraduate Mass Communication student, said the recent attack in Maiduguri showed that the school is not immune to similar incidents. He advised the school authorities to rise up to the challenge and secure the campus.

    According to Halima Abba Waziri, a 300-Level Management student, the school’s security men are taking students’ lives for granted.  She said: “I commend the courage of the VC in his efforts to make the campus safe, but I do not trust the security men at the gate. They only conduct checks on vehicles randomly. They don’t do proper checking. All they do is to ask students to display their ID cards even at a distance. Losing a llife will not be tolerated, because the kinds of security measures we have in place is not enough.”

    Zara Abba Lawan, a 300-Level Public Administration student, said security is the basis of survival of any society, adding that the school cannot afford to sacrifice security of lives and property on the campus.

    She said the school needed to deploy “highly trained” security personnel to ensure safety within and outside the university.

    He said: “There should be improved security on campus. They should ensure strict security checks at mosques, churches and other places of worship. The government needs to do something about the insurgency and the deadly attacks, because lives and properties are being lost and people are always living in fear. I think it is high time a new strategy was applied to prevent attacks, especially on educational institutions.”

    Another student, Ruqaiyya Yusoof, said: “We live in fear every day and we face a lot of threats, because the university is considered a soft target for violent attacks. Government needs to take all threats seriously.”

    Although the government said it had reduced the sect’s power to launch large-scale attacks, Boko Haram’s capability to launch attacks on soft targets seems underestimated. If the government’s security strategy is not reviewed and improved, students fear that there may not be an end in sight to the violence within and around the campus.

     

  • Suicide bomber blown up as he waits to attack UNIMAID students

    Suicide bomber blown up as he waits to attack UNIMAID students

    Another suicide bomber was blown up at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) yesterday moments before he could attack a student gathering on the campus.

    He was the only casualty of the attack, according to the police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

    Ibrahim Mallam Abdulkadir, spokesman for NEMA in the Northeast said the explosive which the bomber strapped to his body went off while he was waiting “for the right opportunity to detonate the bomb among students.”

    “Today, May 20, at some minutes past 10 am, one male adult suicide bomber hid in the bush within university community surrounding, supposedly trying to gain access into university where students are gathering,” Abdulkadir said in a statement.

    “Unfortunately for him the IED exploded and killed him. No casualty was recorded. The corpse was deposited at Borno Specialist Hospital.”

    The Borno State Police Command also confirmed the incident, with its spokesman, Victor Isuku saying:”Today at about 10:00hours, a lone male suicide bomber detonated explosive strapped to his body.

    “The bomber had taken cover in a ditch within the neighbourhood of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) Children Secondary School, at the eastern end of the campus.

    “The bomber sighted security personnel coming towards the direction of his hiding place and hurriedly detonated his explosive, killing him only.

    “Police anti bomb team were promptly dispatched to the scene to sanitize and render the area safe. Normalcy has since been restored.”

    Three male suspected suicide-bombers died after a failed attack at the university’s female hostel on Thursday night.

  • Suicide bomber killed in failed Borno attack

    The Borno State Police Command has confirmed the killing of a suspected suicide bomber after a failed attack at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on Saturday.

    The spokesman of the command, Mr. Victor Isuku, disclosed this in a statement in Maiduguri.

    He said, “Today at about 10:00hours, a lone male suicide bomber detonated explosive strapped to his body.

    “The bomber had taken cover in a ditch within the neighbourhood of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) Children Secondary School, at the eastern end of the campus.

    “The bomber sighted security personnel coming towards the direction of his hiding place and hurriedly detonated his explosive, killing him only.”

    He said police had already cordoned off the place and rendered it safe.

    “Police anti bomb team were promptly dispatched to the scene to sanitize and render the area safe. Normalcy has since been restored to the area,” the police spokesman added.

    Three suspected suicide-bombers died in a failed attack at the university female hostel on Thursday night.

    NAN

     

     

  • Four killed as three suicide bombers target UNIMAID

    Four killed as three suicide bombers target UNIMAID

    An attempt by three suicide bombers to enter  the University of Maiduguri, (UNIMAID) hit the rocks yesterday after they were found out by security men.

    All the three bombers and a security personnel of the university died.

    Two of the bombers detonated their explosives as they faced interrogation by the security men at the gate, killing one of them and injuring another.

    The third bomber, who had hidden close to a building near the gate, also detonated her explosive. She was the only casualty in the incident.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) confirmed the death of four persons, including the bombers, in a statement yesterday by Malam Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the North East Information officer of the agency.

    “Today at 1:10am, three suicide bombers, two men and a woman attempted to gain access into University of Maiduguri, but were sighted by the university security that stopped them for interrogation.

    “While interrogating them, the two suicide bombers detonated their explosives devices which injured one of the securities and killed another.

    “The third suicide bomber hid close to the vicinity of a building in the university later detonated her explosive which affected the structure of the building with no casualty.

    “The injured has been taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital after administering of first aid while the corpses were deposited at Borno Specialist Hospital,” Ibrahim said.

    The Borno State Police Command confirmed the twin suicide attacks.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Victor Isuku said the suicide bombers hurriedly detonated IEDs strapped to their bodies, killing themselves and a university security personnel in the process, while a soldier was reported injured in the explosion, and is currently receiving treatment at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

    He said “In the early hours of today (yesterday), at about 0130, three male suicide bombers, gained entry into the premises of University of Maiduguri, and advanced towards the mechanical workshop of the university.

    “They were intercepted by the university security personnel and soldiers on duty. In an attempt to apprehend them, the suicide bombers hurriedly detonated IEDs strapped to their bodies, killing themselves and a university security personnel in the process.

    A soldier was reported injured in the explosion, and is currently receiving treatment at university of Maiduguri teaching hospital (UMTH).

    “The command’s EOD teams were despatched to sanitize the scene and vicinity of the campus for general safety, while normalcy has since been restored”. Isuku stated.

  • Two suicide bombers found dead near UNIMAID fence

    Two suicide bombers have been found dead behind the perimeter fence of University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), the police said on Monday.

    The Borno State police spokesman, DSP Victor Isuzu, said in a statement in Maiduguri that the incident must have occurred prematurely, adding that only the two bombers were found dead.

    The statement said: “In the early hours of today, the bodies of two male suicide bombers were discovered behind the perimeter fence of University of Maiduguri, outskirt of Maiduguri town. The bombers’ death was reasonably believed to have been due to premature detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped to their bodies before they could get to their target.

    “The bodies have since been evacuated by SEMA to specialist hospital.”

  • Suicide bomber kills Prof, four others in UNIMAID

    Suicide bomber kills Prof, four others in UNIMAID

    The late Prof. Mani 

    The late Prof. Mani was the second professor from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine killed by Boko Haram attack since the insurgency begun in 2009.
    Born in Katsina town on April 11, 1957, Prof. Mani attended Kayalwa Primary School, Katsina (1964-1970), Government College Kaduna (1971-1975) and School of Basic Studies, ABU Zaria (1975-1976).
    He got admission into the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ABU Zaria and graduated with
    Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 1981.
    He did his NYSC at the School of Agriculture in Asaba, worked briefly with the Niger Basin Development Authority in Ilorin, Kwara State before he proceeded to the University of Maiduguri as Assistant Lecturer, Department of Veterinary Medicine in October 1982.
    The late professor attended the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, UK, (1984-1985), where he got his Masters and later got his PhD in same school and returned to Maiduguri in 1994.
    He was a Fellow of the College of Veterinary Surgeons (2010), Director of UNIMAID Veterinary Teaching Hospital (1997-2000), Head of Department (2005-2010) and Acting Dean of Vet Faculty (2008-2010).
    Until his death, he was the Director of UNIMAID Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
    He is survived by his wife and two children.

    A professor and four other persons were killed yesterday when a young suicide bomber detonated a bomb during the dawn (fajr) Islamic prayer at the Senior Staff aQuarters of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), the Borno State capital.
    The late Prof. Aliyu Usman Mani, a Professor of Veterinary Medicine, and the others, were praying when the blast occurred.
    State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Chairman Satomi Ahmed and Commissioner of Police (CP) Damian Chukwu confirmed the explosion.
    Chukwu said 15 injured persons were taken to hospital, but the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 17 were injured.
    “At about 5:45 a.m., a mobile police officer who is on duty sighted a suspected suicide bomber trying to scale the fence at Gate Five.
    “ Suspicious of his movement, the mobile police officer instantly gunned him down and his bomb exploded and killed him instantly.
    “The second suicide bomber, a seven-year-old, detonated the explosive at the senior staff quarters mosque in the university where a professor and four persons were killed and 15 persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to the hospital,”said Chukwu.
    Ahmed said: “All I can say is to appeal to the people to be vigilant and ensure proper watch because, like we have said, the insurgents are in disarray and employing any tactic to cause havoc.
    “The people must be vigilant at all times,” said Satomi.
    The attacks took place at two locations within the school. One happened at Gate Five with only the suicide bomber as the casualty. The other one, which occurred in an interval of five minutes at the mosque, caused the death.
    NEMA spokesman Sani Datti, in a statement, said: “There were reported incidents of twin blasts at the University of Maiduguri  around 5am this morning.
    “One of the suicide bombers detonated his explosion  at a mosque near Gate 1  when people were observing their early morning prayer, the second one occurred around Gate 5 of the university.
    “Rescue and security officials were at scene and 17 injured  victims were evacuated to  hospital.
    “Two persons  and two suicide bombers  confirmed  dead (total of four)  at the time of response,”.
    Borno State Police spokesman Victor Isuku, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), in another statement, said: “At about 0515hrs of date, a police mobile force personnel on duty near Gate 4 at the back of University of Maiduguri gunned down a female suicide bomber of about 12 years old, who was trying to infiltrate the university premises,  and the IED strapped to her body exploded, killing her instantly. Shortly after that, a second explosion occurred in a mosque inside the university. Four persons, including a professor and the second suicide bomber, died while 15 persons sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to UMTH,”.
    Vice Chancellor Prof. Abubakar  Njodi said the university would not close down in spite of the blast.
    Speaking when Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole of the Nigerian Army visited him, Njodi said: “I can convince the Senate, the management and the university community to close the school to save lives.
    ”But if we do that, we are not helping because we have to give the security our maximum support and our support is not to join them in the battle field.
    “If we run away, that means there is nobody they should be fighting for. We should stay and resolve it; after all, the war is about us, western education.
    ”If we stay, the terrorists will be frustrated because that is their aim.
    Alhaji Muhammad Tanko, the university’s Director, Public Relations, said “all exams and classes had been suspended because of the ugly incident.”
    Maj.-Gen. Irabor, said: “As we have already said and will continue to say, that there is frustration in the Boko Haram camp.
    ”They have tried severally to bring sorrow and pain to the university and the rest of the communities and have failed.
    ”We, therefore, enjoin you not to be deterred. This is a clear sign that the end of Boko Haram has come.
    ”The people should, therefore, continue with their normal life to let the Boko Haram know they have failed.
    ”We should let them know that the extent of their stupidity and callousness do not have any impact on us anymore,” Gen. Irabor said.
    Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the army, said: “We are here to sympathise with you on this ugly and sad incident and we want you not to be deterred in your endeavours.”
    To Gen. Ezegwu the seven-year-old bomber did not know what he was doing. “This is a boy that when you ask him to put his hand in fire, he cannot do it, talk less of detonating himself with an IED,” he said, adding:
    “We want to appeal to the Muslim community not to be deterred. Same incident like this had occurred in Damboa where Muslims were jam-packed and a suicide bomber detonated his explosive.

  • UNIMAID blast: ASUU mourns slain professor, postpones press conference

    The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)  has cancelled a crucial press conference, scheduled to hold at Union  Secretariat, Old Campus Bayero University Kano (BUK) to mourn Professor Kabiru Umar Mani, who was killed in a bomb blast at a Mosque in University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) on Monday morning. 
     
    ASUU National president, Professor Abiodun Ogunyemi, who was already set to address the press, suspended the event  in sympathy of their colleague, Professor Mani, Head of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri.
     
    Prior to deferring the press conference, he disclosed that ASUU leadership had been in Kano for four days, deliberating on the Nigerian project and Nigerian Universities.
     
    He said  news of the death of the  Professor, who was  killed  in a bomb blast, alongside four others in a Mosque at UNIMAID, informed the decision of ASUU leadership to shelve the press briefing as a sign of respect for their deceased member.
     
    ”We got disenchanted over the sad development and we felt that it is going to be a sign of insensitivity to go ahead with the Press conference.”
     
    Thereafter, the National president  apologised to newsmen, who converged at ASUU Secretariat for the emergency press briefing, assuring that it would be held soon at another venue, which would be communicated to newsmen.
     
     

  • PCN inducts 36 UNIMAID graduates

    The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has inducted 36 Pharmacy graduates of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID).

    Its Registrar Mr Elijah N. A. Mohammed said he had earlier carried out an assessment of the facilities of the faculty with the PCN Accreditation Team.

    Mohammed said: “The Accreditation Team had been in the university for four days, assessing facilities and human resources of the faculty towards the re-accreditation of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme.

    “These 36 Pharmacy graduates have scaled through. This induction and oath-taking ceremony are professional requirenments. And every Pharmacy graduate must be inducted before venturing into the practice of Pharmacy.”

    He thanked the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi for his support to the Faculty.

    He advised the graduands that Pharmacy is a life-long  profession and that graduating with a Bachelor of Pharmacy is the completion of the first phase of learning.

    He admonished the graduands to imbibe the code of ethics of the profession, warning them to avoid  any misconduct as it would earn them sanctions.

    The Registrar urged the parents to continue to maintain oversight functions over their wards and to desist from putting financial pressure on them. The ceremony ended with the graduands taking the Pharmacists Oath.

    Njodi, who chaired the event, expressed his appreciation to the Registrar, PCN, for braving the odds and security challenges to visit the university to induct the fresh graduates.

    He said the Faculty of Pharmacy, being the only accredited one in the Northeast Zone, has played a leading role in producing the pharmaceutical manpower in the zone.

    He added that the faculty has graduated over 300 pharmacists since inception in 2002.

    Njodi said the university had continued to maintain an uninterrupted academic programme amid the difficult environment.This is as a result of the good rapport and synergy between the university and the security agencies.

    He attributed the induction to the belief of the PCN that peace has returned to Maiduguri and the manifestation of the efforts of both the staff and students of the faculty.

    He said the Faculty runs a Postgraduate programme in two departments namely, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry. He attributed the success  at the Faculty to the efforts of the staff of the Faculty. He pleaded with the Federal Government and its drug regulatory agencies to tackle the menace of drug abuse, fake drug and quackery in our society.

    He urged the graduands to venture into the society as good ambassadors of the University stressing that they are expected to be honest, trustworthy and dedicated in all their undertakings.

  • Court dismisses don’s entitlement suit

    The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has dismissed a suit by a university don, Prof. Hussain Abdulkareem, seeking to order the National Universities Commission (NUC) and three other universities to pay him his retirement benefits and entitlements.

    Justice John Peters held that the plaintiff filed the case too late – 25 years after he retired, and that it was caught by the statute of limitation.

    The judge said since he joined a public officer, NUC’s Executive Secretary, in the suit, it should have been filed within three months after his retirement as required by law.

    “The claimant in the instant case for over two decades slept over his right to ventilate his grievances through the judicial process,” the judge said.

    The claimant prayed the court to order the University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) and University of Abuja (UniAbuja) to pay his entitlements having taught in the three institutions.

    He asked that UNILAG and UNIMAID calculate his retirement benefits and entitlements or get an expert to calculate them, and for UniAbuja to pay his retirement savings of N6.4milliion with Stigma Pension Limited.

    Abdulkareem also wanted interest on the judgment sum at the rate of 25 per cent from November 5, 1989 till verdict and until liquidation of the sum.

    He prayed for N5million as damages for the psychological, emotional and mental trauma he suffered as a result of non-payment of his retirement benefits and entitlements, as well as N2million as legal fees.

    NUC, through its lawyer, Mr. Kehinde Oginni, objected to the suit on the ground that it was statute-barred and therefore null and void.

    The lawyer said NUC’s Executive Secretary is a public officer and as such the three-month time limit within which to institute an action against him had lapsed since the cause of action arose in 1989.

    Dismissing Abdulkareem’s suit, Justice Peters agreed with Oginni and held that the plaintiff filed the suit too late last March having retired more than 25 years ago.

     

     

  • Fears as UNIMAID reopens

    Fears as UNIMAID reopens

    Despite the security challenges in Borno State, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) has been re-opened for a new session. But there are fears as students return to school, reports TAIWO ISOLA (400-Level Human Anatomy).

    While the sound of guns and bombs still booms in some parts of the Northeast, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State – the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency – has been re-opened for the 2014/2015 academic session.

    The school was re-opened after about three months holiday. Students have been returning to school, but many are nursing fears about their safety on campus, having found themselves in-between crossfire by soldiers and the insurgents. They lost some colleagues in the process.

    The grenade thrown into the campus by Boko Haram fighters last March is still fresh in their minds. The soldiers responded to the attack, firing several shots. Bombs and stray bullets hit some buildings on the campus. There was panic as students ran helter-skelter. A student was hit and died.

    In July, there was a similar incident, in which some hostels were damaged by bombs.

    With memories of these incidents still fresh, some students may delay their return for safety reasons.

    A sophomore student, Aliyu Saidu, said: “Returning to school is risky, given the experience we had last semester. After hours of lectures and class activities, we expected a peaceful rest but the occasional explosions and gunshots from neighbouring communities disturbed our rest. There were midnight bomb blasts and daylight attacks that disturbed the peace on campus. Returning to school in haste would be tantamount to desperation.”

    James Agwu has just been admitted into the university. He is praying that the insurgency should end for him to complete his four-year course. Arriving on the campus last Thursday, James was surprised to see many students.

    “I was surprised when I saw students in their numbers on campus. I thought the insecurity in the state would discourage students from returning but I was wrong. It is as if nothing is happening and it appears students have accepted the insurgency as part of life,” he said.

    But, for some students, the last experience left a psychological effect on them.

    Emeka Uchenna, a graduating student of Chemical Engineering, said: “It was when I left Maiduguri that I understood that some things are not normal. I had thought living in the crisis-ridden Maiduguri was normal until I travelled out of the town for the break. A bang makes my heart skip and my body shaky. I now respond to loud sounds with fear. This has become a psychological action for me.”

    Halima Mohammed’s greatest fear is the 2015 general elections. She said: “If they said the insecurity is about politics, then I have fears that 2015 general elections may breed more violence in the state. For a city like Maiduguri, next year’s election is going to be a defining time. If the outcome of the elections turns out to be what certain people did not anticipate, we could witness more violence in the state and this is my worry.”

    Because of the insurgency, Ayodeji Hamzat, a 300-Level Accountancy student, planned to continue his study elsewhere but his was futile because of his inability to secure inter-university transfer. He has given up; he returned to the campus with mixed feelings.

    “I have already given up on my transfer attempt. I will finish my studies here in Maiduguri,” he said. Asked how he would cope with the security challenges, he said: “I cannot go and write another matriculation examination because I have gone too far in my studies.”

    Only God can protect students, Victor Mshelia said.  “When explosions rock neighbouring communities, where will students run to? It is a moment one looks up to his Creator. My fear is that the insurgents may launch an offensive against Maiduguri and, by extension, UNIMAID. When this happens, divine protection is all we need to survive,” he said.

    In his words, Idris Suleiman, a member of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), said: “We plead that the government find a lasting solution to the insurgents. The remedial approach by the government to resolve the crisis has yielded nothing. We plead for a peaceful and an enabling environment that is conducive for learning.”