FUT Minna students shut campus over alleged robbery killing, rising insecurity

Stidents of the Federal University of Technology, FUT, Minna, on Tuesday shut down the campus and blocked the Minna-Bida Road following the alleged killing of a student by suspected robbers and renewed attacks on off-campus residents.

The protest disrupted academic activities, with students barricading the university’s main gate and preventing staff, including principal officers, lecturers and other workers, from gaining access to the institution.

Sources said the demonstration was triggered by the alleged killing of a student during a robbery attack three days ago, while another attack on Monday night reportedly left several students injured.

The students accused the authorities of failing to address the worsening insecurity around off-campus hostels despite collecting a N10,000 security levy from students every academic session.

The protest also stalled the university’s scheduled computer-based aptitude test for 100- and 300-level students as no academic activity took place.

When contacted, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Lydia Legbo, said the management was already engaging relevant stakeholders to restore peace and improve security in the affected student communities.

She said the university was working with the concerned stakeholders to ensure normalcy returned and that measures were being put in place to address the security challenges around the off-campus areas.