Follow Us on Google
From Gyang Bere, Jos
Plateau State University, Bokkos, Plateau State, has witnessed its fair share of insecurity orchestrated by bandits. The institution, at a point, became a grazing field, where herdsmen also raided hostels and raped female students.
The incidents became more pronounced in 2020 when gunmen stormed the institution at night, raped students and stole valuables. In a bid to protect the female students, their male counterparts were often injured and some escaped death narrowly.
Last week, Governor Simon Lalong and the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEDFUND), Prof. Suleiman Elias Bogoro, inaugurated a multimillion-naira senate building and faculty of health sciences in the university.
Bogoro raised concerns over security of students and lecturers on campus and said building solid and strong infrastructure would stem some of the issues.He explained that providing infrastructural development in the institution would ensure a conducive learning atmosphere and that would go a long way in guaranteeing security of students.
Bogoro pledged to construct a befitting hostel accommodation for the students to ensure that all students live on campus to curtail issues of rape and incessant attacks.
Lalong, who provided the institutional framework for peaceful co-existence in the state, said his administration has prioritised security of students in Plateau State University and other tertiary institutions in the state.
The governor expressed joy over the inauguration of new facilities, which will deepen security in the institution. He said it reinforced the strong partnership between TETFUND and Plateau State government in the development of tertiary education in the state.
Lalong said the projects, which were within the 2019 high-impact intervention initiative, where PLASU was selected as a beneficiary for the North Central zone, will go a long way in boosting teaching, learning and security in the university.
He said: “Although many tertiary institutions across the country lobbied very hard to be considered for the projects, PLASU was very fortunate to be given this privilege, owing to our good relationship with the ES TETFUND, who is a son of Plateau; the Honorable Minister of Education, who is a friend of Plateau and my personal friend, as well as President Muhammadu Buhari, who has proved beyond reasonable doubt that Plateau has a special place in his heart.”
Vice-chancellor, PLASU, Prof. Yohanna Daniel Izam, said a lot has been done by the management of the instruction, where the security architecture has attracted a police post very close to the university to protect students and lecturers.
He said the institution was waiting for the mobilization of men that would operate in the police station, which is part of the management’s initiative.
“We have commenced the building of some broken parts of the fence, which actually shouldn’t be a problem; it’s just that this is a university that is located in a semi rural area.
“In advanced economics, top-ranking universities are not fenced; the universities are integrated into the communities. You and walk through it without knowing that you have passed through a university; but in Nigeria, people talk of fencing as it is an issue.
“In terms of the security manpower, we have escalated the number. We have employed 20 additional security men who are conventional and we have the unconventional. We have licensed vigilantes and, if you notice, in the last one year, there have been not many challenges because those ones are licensed to carry arms. I think that anybody who is coming near the hostels in Plateau University, must know the level of preparation that we have made because we have put trained people there who are carrying arms.
“Also, if you hear anything happening, it will most likely be in the neighborhood where most of our students are resident and this is beyond the powers of the management, it belongs to the national security architecture to handle. Insecurity is a challenge that we have to continue to address as a people, everybody has a responsibility not just the government or the management of the university, and something is being done about that,” he said.
The chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Guluwa Joseph, praised the efforts of community stakeholders and residents of Bokkos in fostering peace in the institution.
He said: “We have been working with community leaders to protect students and even their properties now that they are on holiday. For students who are living outside the campus, there are vandals who go round to steal the properties of students.
“We have gone round to talk to the property owners to see how we can protect the students. We are very much interested in the security of students and people in the local government area.
“We set up security task force recently in Bokkos. It is an arrangement where all the vigilante groups and other non-regular security were constituted across all the villages to work closely with traditional rulers so that all communities would be protected against the activities of bandits.”
The chairman of ALGON in the state, Mr Alex Nantuwan, appreciated the management of the institution for ensuring that the resources put together are used for the benefit and protection of students in the university.
According to him, “the issue of insecurity is not peculiar to this university alone, it is a problem that government is battling with generally and I must commend the management of the university for the efforts put in place to ensure safety of lives in the institution.
“I am bold to say that strategic measures have been put in place aimed at curbing insecurity that has bedevilled this community where the Institution is located.
“Because of this effort, you will agree with me that the narrative is better now and there is room for improvement. We will continue to give them encouragement to do more in providing security so that the institution will become a citadel of learning for our teeming youths.”
The student union government president, Arin Izang, praised the VC and management for their swift response to issues of insecurity within and outside the institution that affect students, adding that sustaining the gesture would restore confidence in the students.
He solicited the constitution of more hostels within the university to curtail attacks on students outside the institution.
