Joseph Agabaidu, a final-year Geology student, was stabbed by some attackers while they attempted to take his cell phone, according to several sources on campus, as reported by PUNCH Online.
However, the Bauchi State Police Command stated in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police Ahmed Wakil, that the deceased attempted to recover his girlfriend’s bag from some attackers who took it from her when they stabbed him in the side of his chest. He subsequently passed away while being admitted to the ATBU Teaching Hospital.
According to sources, he was attacked on Saturday while making his way back to his lodge near the Yelwan Tudu market in the Yelwa region, a suburb of the Bauchi city. He was taken to the hospital for emergency care but was unable to recover from the serious injuries caused by the knife.
Students at the school staged a protest in response to the incident, gathering in large numbers at the Yelwa campus to voice their displeasure with the insufficient security on and around campus and to draw attention from the administration and government.
After the protest, the administration ordered students to leave the campus right away and closed the school for a first week. This was stated in a statement signed by the Deputy Registrar Academic, Fatima Abdullahi, as the protest, which was led by “miscreants,” disturbed the calm that was being enjoyed on campus.
However, in a statement provided to media on Friday, ATBU Director of Information and Public Relations Zailani Bappa stated that classes will now begin on January 7, 2024.
He said, “The Senate of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, has extended the date for resumption of undergraduate students of the university to January 7, 2024.
“In an emergency meeting held at the Senate Chamber in Gubi Campus, the Senate resolved that the one-week closure of the university be extended to January 7, 2024.
“The university management earlier announced the closure of the university to all undergraduate students for an initial period of one week, from December 4-10, 2023, to avert possible breakdown of law and order on the two campuses of Yelwa and Gubi.
“This followed an upheaval by some aggrieved students after the demise of one of their colleagues who was reportedly attacked by unknown assailants in Yelwan Ngas, a suburb of Bauchi town which led to his untimely death.”