HURIWA DEMANDS ACTIONS ON INVASIONS OF UNIVERSITY HOSTELS BY TERRORISTS, CONDEMNS ALLEGED RAPE OF 30 FEMALE STUDENTS
The report that a large numbers of armed terrorists invaded the female hostels of the Federal University in Lafia(FULafia) in Nasarawa State few hours back, sexually violating, raping over 30 female students and abducting many students, has been described as an absolutely despicable crime against humanity which must never be swept under the carpets but must be rapidly confronted and the victims getting redress.
The Rights group said a nation whose students are left at the mercy of terrorists is not worthy of the respect accorded to Sovereign nations just as these attacks are symptomatic of a failed state.
HURIWA stated that the alarming escalation of violence in Universities and especially that terrorists were allowed to carry out a massive scale of violence on the Federal University in Lafia Nasarawa State on July 26th 2025 is said to be the culmination of a consistent security siege laid by the terrorists for over two weeks. Witnesses say the terrorists moved in a well coordinated convoy targeting densely populated students residences around the campus and off-campus. These settlements include Akunza, Gandu, and Burkan Kwato where many students live due to widespread scarcity of accommodation facilities within the campus. HURIWA accused the Nigeria Police Force of severe dereliction of duty.
“HURIWA is disappointed that the Nasarawa State Police command and the Office of the Inspector-General of Police took no action to prevent this attack on the unarmed students which took a devastating dimension on July 26th when the well over 30 female students were raped serially by these terrorist gangsters who operated for many hours unchallenged. This crime has debased the value of sanctity of human life and will for a long time to come remain a terrible reference point on how not to Police a nation.” “We call on the federal ministry of Education to quickly mobilise psychologists and counsellors to meet with the affected students to give them post-traumatic therapy and thereafter the victims be awarded N50 million compensation each to assuage some of the dehumanising treatments meted out to them which resulted from the abysmal failure by the federal government to provide the constitutionally guaranteed duty of care and to protect these vulnerable students from unwarranted violence and sexual degradation. HURIWA calls on the governor of Nasarawa State to show commitment towards protecting the students studying in the federal institution located in his territory.
HURIWA has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to protect students and Nigerian schools from frequent invasions by terrorists by demanding actionable template from the IGP on how to prevent future occurrence of this sort of horrifying crimes that happened at the FULafia just as the Rights group is demanding that the President should consider reorganising the policing architecture of Nigeria because the methodology of crime fighting by the current IGP is more of reactive rather than effective proactive and intelligence guided policing.
The sexual violations of more than 30 female students of FULafia on July 26th 2025 is completely intolerable and the President must demand that his ministers of Education and the IGP of Police must implement concrete measures to bring the culprits to justice and to provide remedy and justice to these innocent victims of this campus terror attack.
HURIWA advocated the setting up of nationwide special commando unit of the Nigeria Police Force to be headed by a DIG who would report directly to the IGP on schools security nationwide and this unit should actively partner with other sister security agencies in the Country.
“We regret to state that the cases of invasions of Universities in the country by terrorists have continued unabated including the following incidents:
On October 10, 2023, at least four students of Nasarawa State University in Keffi were abducted when suspected gunmen attacked their lodge on Tuesday morning.
Ramhan Nansel, police spokesperson in Nasarawa, confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday.
Nansel said the students were abducted when the gunmen invaded their lodge located at Anguwan Kaare in Keffi LGA of the state.
He said the incident occurred at about 12:55 am on Tuesday.
“The command is aware of kidnapping at about 12:55 am as a distress call was received that a house located at Angwan Kaare, Keffi was invaded by unidentified armed men,” the statement reads.
On December 7, 2023, ten students from the Federal University of Lafia were kidnapped on Thursday night by bandits suspected to be herders.
An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, informed the Nigerian Tribune that the gunmen invaded Gandu, a student community opposite the permanent site of the university, around 2 am on Thursday. They shot sporadically, forcing students out of their residences. The eyewitness testified that the operation lasted about two hours without interruption.
Confirming the incident, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer of the university, told the Nigerian Tribune in a telephone chat that, at the moment, the total number of students abducted is yet to be ascertained, but he provided an approximate number between two to four students.
On October 10, 2023, Four Students of the Nasarawa State University (NSUK), Keffi were reportedly abducted by people suspected to be kidnappers in Angwan ka’are, a community in Keffi Local government Area of the state.
The students who were said to be kidnapped outside the university campus at 10.30 pm Monday include: Rahila Hanya – SLT 100 Level, Josephine Gershon a Computer Science 100 Level, Rosemary Samuel of Business Administration 100 Level and Goodness Samuel of the department of Geography 100 also Level.
Speaking when contacted, the University Head of Information and Protocol, Abraham Ekpo said the university authority was aware of the information about the incident.
In a troubling incident underscoring the escalating insecurity around student hostels, armed robbers invaded the Gandu area of Lafia, home to many off-campus residences of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), late Wednesday night. Dozens of students were robbed of valuables, and several sustained injuries during the attack.
Student lodgings near Gandu community, known to house more than 6,000 students, were hit as robbers stormed rooms early while most victims were asleep. According to eyewitnesses, some students in upper-floor rooms fled by jumping from balconies to escape the armed intruders. Videos circulating online show damaged doors, shattered glass, and distraught students gathered at the scene in the aftermath.
The Gandu community is repeatedly cited among the most vulnerable areas in Lafia, with students and residents frequently targeted in robberies and kidnappings. In recent years, kidnappers and armed gang members have attacked lodges, abducting students and even shooting some in broad daylight.
In December 2023, for example, as many as 17 students were kidnapped from Gandu lodges, triggering widespread protest and road blockades by students demanding security reforms. Multiple incidents since then, including more abductions and attacks have been recorded, yet long-term security responses remain sporadic and inadequate.
COMRADE Emmanuel Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). August 5th 2025.
