From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
AT least five persons, including four students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM), and a security guard attached to a private students hostel have been killed by cultists.
Daily Sun gathered that the university became a theater of war as gunmen suspected to be cultists, on a reprisal attack, stormed the private hostel, Chamma Hostel on Tuesday night, killing four persons.
Daily Sun gathered that at about 11pm on Tuesday, suspected cult members stormed Chamma Hostel and moved to Block D room 2, where they requested to see one Aye, but the occupants of the room were said to have told the strange visitors that no one was bearing the name in the room.
Speaking to Daily Sun, hostel leader, Denen Ajobo, a 400- level Electrical Electronics student, said the gang leader, who was not happy with he explanation of the students, ordered a member of his gang to finish all the four students in the room.
“But as one of the suspected cult members tried to pull the trigger, one of the four students pleaded with the cultists to spare their lives but in the process one of the cultist shot him. He died later in the hospital. The cultists also shot the security guard attached to the hostel and two other students, who were returning to the hostel.”
Ajobo said that three other students who were injured in the attack were receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Makurdi.
He lamented that no one was able to attend to the victims until about 6am Wednesday morning, when they were rushed to hospital. “They died on the way before they could get to the hospital, he said.”
The hostel students representative revealed that the hostel was also invaded last Friday, when suspected cultists attempted to attack a student but he escaped.
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Emmanuel Kucha, said the management of the institution was doing everything possible to unearth the immediate and remote cause of the attacks.
While confirming that the attacks took place at theprivate hostel around the university campus, the VC said, the institution has just met with stakeholders and resolved to engage the services of vigilance group to beef up security in the area.
Also speaking, Head, Information and Public Relations Unit of the institution, Mrs Rosemary Waku, described the incident as shocking and condemnable. She said the deceased had been deposited at Madona hospital.
The State Commissioner of Police, Dibal Yakadi, who confirmed the report, said six persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.