News - Soldiers allegedly kill three protesting students in Nasarawa

[TGD]

 HURIWA calls for probe, don abducted

Two policemen feared dead as gunmen kidnap bizman

THERE was pandemonium when three students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, were allegedly shot dead by soldiers during a demonstration against poor living conditions on the campus.

Aside the killings, several students were also said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries following the sporadic shootings by law enforcement agents who ought to have shielded the students.

Piqued over the development, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the alleged killing of the students, which it said clearly amounts to grave crimes against humanity, which must not go unpunished.

The protest was said to have been ignited as a result of water shortage in the campus, which forced the students to embark on a peaceful demonstration.

Some of the students, who spoke to The Guardian on telephone, accused the military of deliberately shooting "at us in spite of our harmless nature."

Wondering why the military should go as far as using "their guns on us," one of the students, who also spoke to our reporter, said "our aim of carrying out the peaceful protest was just to draw the attention of the school authority to our predicaments."

Citing the absence of infrastructural facilities in the university, which according to him "made learning cumbersome for us, we felt that the demonstration would challenge the authority to put in place for us the necessary infrastructure."

Most of the students, who spoke to The Guardian, pleaded for anonymity for fear of reprisals from the military or intimidation and harassment from the school authority.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the university, which is located in Keffi, Jamilu Zakari declined comment, promising to reach back to The Guardian after taking the permission from the deputy V.C.

A senior lecturer, who also offered to speak to The Guardian,  blamed the school authority for deliberately refusing to make available enabling learning environment for the students in spite of the huge fees regularly being paid by the students.

"I must confess to you that the students have been pushed to the wall. Even at that their demonstration was a peaceful one only for the military to come from nowhere and interrupt them with their guns."

Confirming the report, the Police Public Relations Officer, Michael Ada, denied knowledge of the casualties but admitted that some students sustained gun injuries and are now receiving medical attention "at the federal medical centre, Keffi."

He said, "So far, we have not recorded any death but some students sustained injuries and they have been rushed to the federal medical centre, Keffi where they are being attended to by medical personnel."

HURIWA, therefore, called on the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC) to immediately commence independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the deployment of well-armed soldiers by government to unleash a regime of violence on peaceful protesting students of the Nasarawa State University.

A statement signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Director, Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA asked the Chief of Army Staff to explain to Nigerians the rationale behind the deployment of armed soldiers to quell a peaceful demonstration by unarmed students of Nasarawa State University.

Meanwhile, a University of Maiduguri (Unimaid) don, Dr. Abba Kagu was forcefully abducted at gunpoint at his Federal Low Cost Housing estates residence on Saturday evening.

Speaking on the incident, yesterday (Sunday); a top security officer in the Department of Security Services of UNIMAID; confirmed that; "one of our professors was kidnapped on Friday night when the gunmen attempted to burn the divisional police office on Baga road in Bolori ward of Maiduguri.

A police officer also said: "Dr Kagu's abduction was reported to us shortly after it occurred yesterday (Saturday) evening. We are seriously working to locate his where about. We believe his kidnappers may not have fled from the Maiduguri metropolis yet."

In Imo State, gunmen numbering about six, about 9 p.m. on Sunday abducted a businessman in Oguta. The mogul said to own a popular plaza, Niger Plaza, Oguta, is Emeka Aseme.

Two policemen who resisted the hoodlums were feared killed during the gun battle.

Sources told The Guardian that before his abductors came into town in military uniform apparently to confuse the people of the area, through the entry point of Egbuoma, outskirts of the city, shooting freely and scaring away people while waking those sleeping, before their victim was shot on the leg and taken away to an unknown destination.

A witness who confided in The Guardian said the kidnappers also made their exit from the same entry point after they had thrown the entire Oguta into panic.

Though the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr. Vitalis Onugu, a Superintendent of Police (DSP) would not pick calls from The Guardian, police sources confirmed the incident, stating that the gunmen overwhelmed police.



The Guardian