John Adams, Minna
Students of the Niger State owned Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai got their own share of the rising insecurity in the state as heavily armed robbers in the early hours of yesterday raided the off campus hostel of the university, carting away money and other belongings of the students.
Over 25 rooms belonging to both male and female students of the university were raided in operation witnesses said lasted for over two hours.
A witness told our correspondent that the robbers arrived the hostel located few meters from the main gate of the university at about 12midnight despite the heavy rain and moved from room to room, waking up the students and dispossessing them of their belongings at gun point.
According to the witnesses, some of the robbers stayed at the entrance to the gate of the 25 rooms private hostel while the others went from room to room.
The robbers, however, locked up the students in two rooms before embarking on their room-to-room raid.
It was gathered that the mobile phones of the students, laptops, cash and other valuable items were taken away by the robbers.
The robbers demanded from the female students jewelries and expensive clothes and reportedly beat hell out of those who did not have anything to give.
One of the students, who to spoke to our correspondent on phone, said: “They operated from 12 midnight till 2am before they left the same way they came. It was after the robbers had gone that the police came.”
When contacted, one of the information officers of the university, Mr Baba Akote, said the institution was yet to be officially briefed on the incident “because it did not happen on the campus.”
However, police public relations officer in the state, Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the story, saying the incident happened outside the university campus.
“We are already investigating the matter,” Abubakar said, assuring that the robbers would be apprehended and brought to justice.