The University of Jos has been closed down
after a protest by students over hike in fees
turned bloody, with security officials called in
to restore order shooting at least eight
students.
A statement, Tuesday, by the University
Registrar Jully Dandam, after a hurriedly
convened management meeting, said the
institution would remain shut “till further
notice”.
The statement ordered all students to vacate
campus before 2 p.m. on Tuesday as a way of
halting the violence and stopping the crisis
from spreading to other parts of the state.
The protest by the students, which began on
Monday, deteriorated on the second day, with
security operatives firing at students.
Witnesses said as the protest continued, a
soldier attached to the Special Taskforce on
Jos crisis (STF) opened fire on protesters at
the Bauchi Road campus of the university,
shooting several of them, including a blind
student.
However, a spokesperson for the Special
Taskforce (STF), Ikedichi Iweha, a Captain, in
a telephone interview, said only four students
had gunshot wounds, but denied that they
were not shot by soldiers.
According to him, the bullets used in shooting
the students were not the type the Special
Taskforce uses.
He suggested the shooting could have been
done by other sister security agencies
deployed to the scene of the protest.
Mr. Iweha also claimed that the wounds on
the students were minor, and that they were
treated at the Task Force’s clinic and
discharged.
The STF spokesman claimed the protesting
students injured five soldiers who tried to
disperse them.
As at the time of this report, no one has been
reported dead in the protest.
The students had on Monday began protesting
increments in development levy of N10,000 for
all students, and acceptance fee of N25,000 for
freshers.
On Monday, the students held the university
managers hostage in their offices.
The protest continued on Tuesday with
students barricading the Bauchi Road campus
and hindering free flow of traffic.
The protest by the students heightened
tension within the Plateau State capital, Jos,
as businesses around Bauchi Road, Faringada,
part of Katako, Nasarawa Gwom as well as
Terminus Market closed early, fearing the
protest might turn violent.
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