How student’s death put ATBU on edge, disrupted academic activities

A 500-level geology student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Joseph Agabaidu, has been stabbed to death by some assailants while trying to steal a mobile phone. The incident happened outside the university campus, at Yelwa Market in the Yelwan Ngas, a suburb of Bauchi town around 7pm on Saturday when the assailants attacked […]

A 500-level geology student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, Joseph Agabaidu, has been stabbed to death by some assailants while trying to steal a mobile phone.

The incident happened outside the university campus, at Yelwa Market in the Yelwan Ngas, a suburb of Bauchi town around 7pm on Saturday when the assailants attacked him. He was rushed to hospital for medical attention but was unable to survive the injuries and passed away at the ATBU Teaching Hospital Sunday morning.

Findings revealed that immediately after

Agabaidu was confirmed dead, some of his colleagues in connivance with some external forces took up the case and started mobilising for a massive protest at the ATBU gate of the Yelwa Campus without involving the Student Union Government (SUG) of the institution.

The investigation also revealed that a notice of the planned protest was shared through some social media platforms where the students were called upon to come out for the protest, though the names or contacts of the organisers of the protest were not mentioned.

Hundreds of the students honoured the invitation and held the protest as planned around 8 am on Monday holding leaves and chanting various slogans. The protest started peacefully and as the number of students kept increasing the atmosphere began to charge. However, a heavy presence of police prevented the students from coming outside the university campus.

The deployment of the police also prevented the protesters from blocking the main highway. A few hours later the management of ATBU led by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, visited the venue of the protest and attempted to calm down the protesters but they didn’t listen to him.

The situation compelled the management of ATBU to close down the institution for one week to avoid a breakdown of law and order.

The spokesman of the university Mallam Zailani Bappa who addressed journalists said that the management had to decide to avert a breakdown of law and order within the university community that may cascade to surrounding communities.

Bappa explained that all entreaties by the management of the school to calm the segment of the students protesting proved abortive, with some of them outrightly exhibiting disrespect to the management of the university that came to pacify them.

Bappa noted that the university management was aware of the alleged murder and had promptly reported the case to the police and assured that the management would follow the case to its logical end.”It is expected that all students of the institution would comply with the directive and vacate all its campuses with immediate effect.”

A student who doesn’t want his name in print told Daily Trust that the forces behind the protest were suspected cultists who were bent on hitting the management of ATBU for denying them a breathing space.

“They are looking for the slightest opportunity to strike either through causing disharmony among students or a protest in the university. Almighty Allah has shamed them with a prompt action of the management by closing down of the institution.”

The Bauchi State Police Command said the slain 500-level student of ATBU was stabbed while trying to retrieve his girlfriend’s handbag from some assailants.

The police in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer SP Ahmed Wakil, said, “On 02/12/2023  some  unknown persons, numbers not ascertained, snatched a handbag containing a mobile phone belonging to a lady one Philomena Ahobee,  28years, a student of Abubakar Tatari Polytechnic (ATAP) Bauchi.”

“As a result, her boyfriend Agbaidu Joseph,  28years of Anguwan Ngas who is a student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, tried to help her to retrieve the handbag containing her phone. The assailant stabbed him on the left side of his chest with a sharp knife. The victim was rushed to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi for treatment but he was certified dead while on admission by a medical doctor.”

Wakil said that the Commissioner of Police Bauchi State Command, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed received in the audience the leadership of two student bodies(NUBAS and SUG ) in his office at the state command headquarters following the protest.

He said the leadership of the students union kicked against the violent protest by some erring students of the university.

“The students’ leaders presented a letter of request to the Commissioner of Police soliciting more security presence around their communities. The CP assured them of the deployment of the intelligence and operational assets of the Command to the affected areas. He also ordered the posting of more personnel and patrol vans for constant visibility patrol in the area.

In his reaction, ATBU’s President of Students Union Government (SUG) Dauda Abdulrahman Wakili, told the Daily Trust he was in Bauchi when the incident happened.

“When I was first called about the incident I was not in town. I immediately called the chairman of security of ATBU and the Dean of Student Affairs to find out what was happening. My officials were with the injured student up till 3am midnight at the teaching hospital.”

Speaking about the protest, he was not aware of the planned action until about 11 pm on Sunday.

“I just saw the plan on Facebook. We thought the organisers of the protest would consult us so that we discuss modalities on how to carry out the protest and make it official. We don’t know who organised the protest, we just saw the notification on Facebook.

“From our findings, those who planned the protest intended a peaceful demonstration but in the process some elements hijacked it and we believe that some of the protesters that were trying to turn the protest into violence are not our students.

“We are yet to identify some of the elements that tried to hijack the protest but the school security team is still investigating,” Wakili said.

He said the university management was doing its best to ensure the security of life and property on the campus.

“Whenever we hear about any suspicious things, especially security issues, and inform them their response is instant,’’ he said.

Wakili said the union wrote to the police command requesting a police outpost because of increased incidents of armed robberies in communities neighbouring the university.

“Even yesterday the DPO of Yelwa division had confirmed to us that two additional Hilux and more personnel were deployed for the patrol operation around the areas. We have been asked to identify the areas where the outpost will be cited and the time for the operations,” the president added

Meanwhile, the situation has affected the academic activities of over 10,000 students of the university because, a few days after the reopening, the management of ATBU has extended the date for the resumption of undergraduate students to January 7, 2024.

The development is contained in a statement signed by ATBU Director, Information and Public Relations Alhaji Zailani Bappa said at an emergency meeting held at the Senate Chamber in Gubi Campus, the Senate resolved that the one-week closure be extended to January 7, 2024.