By Adenike Lawal
Students of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, staged a protest on Monday following the killing of a 200-level student during a robbery at an off-campus lodge near the university gate.
Eyewitnesses said the student, who had just returned for the new academic session on Sunday, was fatally stabbed by armed robbers who stormed the lodge in the early hours.
The attackers reportedly carted away valuables from multiple students without resistance from any security personnel.
Angered by what they called persistent security failures, hundreds of students blocked roads and lit fires in front of the university gate to demand urgent intervention.
Many said previous complaints about robberies and assaults, especially those targeting female students, had gone unaddressed.
“This is not the first time. We’ve been living in fear. Now someone has died,” a protester said.
The students vowed not to back down until concrete steps are taken by both the school and government to secure their hostels and surrounding areas.
Efforts to reach the university’s management were unsuccessful as of press time.
Confirming the incident, Niger State Police PRO, SP Abiodun Wasiu, said the victim died from a stab wound to the neck.
He added that investigations are ongoing.
