Some female students residing in Block B of the female hostel at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, were robbed of their valuables by hoodlums in the early hours of Monday.

Recounting the incident, one of the students, Rejoice Duke, said: “At about 2 a.m. this morning, some guys came into the hostel and barged into different rooms. They split up and entered several rooms. They were asking whether you wanted your life or your phone. They made away with valuables, including mobile phones. The whole operation lasted about three minutes before they left.”

Some of the students alleged that the suspects gained access to the hostel by cutting through the barbed-wire fence before using a ladder to climb onto the premises.

Expressing fear over what they described as a delayed security response, another student, Fauziya Abdullahi, said, “Our main fear is that if they come in here and march us out, we do not want to become another Chibok girls.’ We do not want to be used for campaigns. We do not want people to say we had a bright future. We want to stay here and live our bright future. We cannot wait 45 minutes for security personnel to drive from town to this place.”

University authorities have reassured parents and students that the situation is under control.

The Director of Information and Public Relations at ATBU, Zailani Bappah, said the Vice-Chancellor had addressed the students and assured them that additional security measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.

The Bauchi State Police Command says it has launched an investigation into the incident and assured stakeholders that those responsible will be arrested and prosecuted.

Speaking on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, said the suspects had fled before officers arrived at the scene. He added that investigations are ongoing and efforts are underway to track down and arrest those responsible.

The incident comes barely two weeks after students living off campus at Sa’adu Zungur University were reportedly robbed. In April, students residing off campus near the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, also experienced a similar attack.

The Bauchi State Safe School Implementation Task Force was inaugurated in March this year to strengthen security in schools and prevent such incidents. However, following the recent attacks, many residents are calling for more proactive security measures to better protect students and educational institutions across the state. (Channels TV)