By Kizito Ozoemena
MINNA – Academic activities at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, FUT Minna, were paralysed on Tuesday after students staged a protest over repeated robbery attacks in off-campus communities.
The students blocked the institution’s main gate and earlier barricaded the Minna-Bida Road from about 8:00 a.m., leaving commuters stranded. They later moved to the university entrance and prevented staff and management from gaining access to the campus.
The protest escalated before the arrival of the Vice-Chancellor, who tried to address the students. His intervention was rejected, with the protesters asking him to leave. It took several hours before campus security created a passage for him to enter.
Deputy Vice-Chancellors, other senior officials and academic staff were also denied entry and eventually returned home after students insisted that no one would be allowed in. Scheduled activities were disrupted as a result.
A computer-based semester test planned for 100-level and 300-level students on Tuesday was suspended due to the shutdown.
A protesting student, who spoke anonymously, said the action was triggered by a string of robberies around off-campus hostels. He alleged that a student was killed in an attack three days ago, while another incident on Monday night left several others injured.
“For about a week now, robbery attacks have been constant. We are losing laptops, phones and other valuables. Some of my colleagues were injured last night. We cannot keep living like this. We do not feel safe,” he said.
The student further claimed that repeated complaints to the university management had not produced tangible security improvements for those living outside the campus.
Another staff member, who also requested anonymity, linked the students’ frustration to a N10,000 security levy paid each academic session. He accused the management of not doing enough to address persistent insecurity affecting off-campus residents.
Responding, the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Bashir Ganiyu, said the university had engaged the Niger State Police Command to strengthen security around off-campus areas.
He noted that while responsibility for off-campus security lies with the police, the university had also deployed vigilantes to support police patrols.
“We are managing the situation. Off-campus security is under the police. In addition, we have vigilantes working with them. The Commissioner of Police is aware of the challenge and it will be addressed,” Ganiyu said.
Efforts to reach the university’s Head of Information, Lydia Legbo, were unsuccessful. The Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, had also not responded to enquiries at the time of filing this report.
