Plateau Killings: Nigerian States Evacuate Students From Jos

As several states hurry to remove their citizens studying in Plateau State as a result of the activities of bloodthirsty men on the prowl, killing unsuspecting residents, indigenes, and those who have become stuck, the state remains tense.

Recall that Plateau State was recently thrown into an unexpected security crisis following the August 13 slaughter of over 30 travelers along Rukuba Road in the state’s Jos North Local Government Area.

The victims were attacked while traveling from Bauchi to Ikare in Ondo State, the bulk of them were Fulanis born and raised in the state.

According to the NEWS DIRECT, the incident sparked more attacks in the state, with some ‘unscrupulous’ individuals launching retaliatory attacks.

Due to the security issue, numerous colleges in the state, including the well-known University of Jos and the Federal College of Forestry, have been compelled to cease academic operations and close their doors until normalcy returns.

The issue worsened on Wednesday after armed men suspected of being bandits massacred over 35 people in Yelwa Zangam village, Jos North Local Government Area of the State.

Before commencing the tragic assault, the perpetrators were alleged to have blocked the community’s bridge, preventing security agencies from accessing the area.

Many states in the country have rushed in to evacuate their citizens to prevent being massacred by gunmen alleged to be on the hunt in the state, apparently disturbed by the battles around the university and the continuous flaring of tension and promises of reprisals.

It will be recalled that the ASUU UniJos Chapters and the Students’ Union Government, SUG, recently sounded the alarm about hoodlums suspected of being bandits killing students at the University.

At least eight states, including Benue, Enugu, Abia, Ogun, Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, and Gombe, have successfully evacuated their students from Plateau as a result of the ongoing retaliation strikes.

Some stakeholders who spoke with DAILY POST about the ramifications of the evacuation stated it would have a bad impact on the pupils’ mental health.

“The shock, the emotional stress that those students went through even before they were evacuated is enough to keep them depressed,” Dr Torwe Ngunan, a psychotherapist from Benue State, told our correspondent.

“Some of these students were eyewitness to the killings. They will have difficulties trying to reason properly at least for sometime due to the memory. Right now, they need to be engaged in some social activities so that they can put off some of the horrible memories”.

In a similar vein, Dr Olawole Michael, a lecturer at the University of Abuja’s Faculty of Social Science, bemoaned the disruption of academic activity in the impacted institutions.

“Definitely it will affect both the students and the school. To think that after all the setbacks in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, students are still forced to go home because of security crisis is not good for the ears.

“Be assured that most of the students that were evacuated will not return to the school. That will affect the institution also. No parent will allow his child to go to school in a place where he or she would not be safe,” he said.

Despite the closure of the schools, according to DAILY POST, some students, mainly from the southern areas of the country, are still stranded in Jos city as fear of attack grows.

However, ASP Ubah Gabriel Ogaba, spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, told DAILY POST on Friday that security has been tightened up in all locations suffering agitation.

According to him, security agents were on the scene prior to the evacuation of students from the State to guarantee that they were not affected by the perpetrators’ mayhem.

“I don’t think there are still students left in the hostels. Many states have evacuated their citizens, some may not publish it in the media but they have.

“Even before the evacuations, we had security everywhere in the state to ensure safety of residents.”

The Plateau State House of Assembly, on the other hand, issued Governor Simon Lalong a two-week deadline to address the current security situation and restore calm in the state on Friday.

This was revealed by Hon. Dasun Peter, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and a member of the House representing Pankshin North, during a world press conference held by the State Assembly in Jos, the State Capital.