President Goodluck Jonathan outraged over student massacre

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, ordered the security agencies to fish out and prosecute those responsible for the massacre of 40 students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi; Adamawa State University and the School of Health Technology, Mubi last Monday in their hostel in Mubi.

The presidential order came as the Senate condemned the killing and charged the Federal Government to invoke the provision of capital punishment in our statute on perpetrators of the massacre and other terrorists to serve as deterrence to others.

Adamawa Police Command has also announced that some arrests have been made over the killings, which were condemned by Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC

Jonathan, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described it as tragic, sad, barbaric and shocking.

According to the statement, "the President has directed security agencies to investigate the matter and get to the root because this kind of incident, where people are called out and shot is really shocking."


He further disclosed that the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'i, had briefed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the killings.

Gunmen, last Monday, stormed the off campus hostel of the students of the higher institutions at Wuro Fatuje, in Mubi, Adamawa State, killing 40 students while many others sustained injuries. The gunmen who were said to be in army uniform reportedly called out the names of the students one after the other and slaughtered them.

While the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi lost 26 students, the other institutions lost 14.
Vanguard


Related stories: Survivor of student massacre in Nigeria recounts experience

Video report on student massacre in Nigeria

Four Nigerian UN peacekeepers killed in Sudan

Four Nigerian peacekeepers have been killed and eight others injured in Darfur UNAMID, the joint mission of the United Nations and African Union in this region of western Sudan announced yesterday.

The mission has been underway for over four years and involves about 22,000 men. A patrol by the Nigerian contingent (the largest) walked into an ambush near El-Geneina, the capital of Darfur, just two kilometres from mission headquarters. According to UN figures the conflict in Darfur has cost the lives of over 300,000 people

Thirty-eight UNAMID soldiers were been killed 'in hostile actions' since the mission began. The attackers struck late Tuesday in the West Darfur state capital El-Geneina, the peacekeeping force said.

"The incident, which involved a Nigerian military patrol, occurred approximately two kilometres (just over a mile) from the mission's regional headquarters," the force said. "UNAMID personnel, who were heavily fired upon from several directions, returned fire. UNAMID and local authorities are working at the scene of the incident."

UNAMID Force Commander Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba called on the Khartoum authorities to hunt down those responsible.

"The mission condemns in the strongest terms this criminal attack on our peacekeepers that are here in the service of Darfur's people. I call on the government of Sudan to bring the perpetrators to justice," he said.

Ethnic minority rebels rose against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government in 2003. In response, the government unleashed state-backed Janjaweed Arab militia in a conflict that shocked the world and led to allegations of genocide. The UN estimates at least 300,000 people died but the government puts the toll at 10,000. UNAMID has been in Darfur for more than four years with a mandate to protect civilians in the vast area the size of France.

Although violence is down on its peak, clashes between rebels and government troops, banditry and inter-ethnic fighting continues. Key rebel groups refused to sign a deal reached last year between the Khartoum regime and an alliance of smaller rebel splinter factions. With more than 22,000 international troops and police officers, UNAMID has a budget of about $1.4 billion for 2012-13.

Leadership

Survivor of student massacre in Nigeria recounts experience

More facts have emerged on how gunmen attacked students of the Federal Polytechnic Mubi on Monday night.

A student of the institution, who wanted his identity hidden, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview today how he crawled into the night amidst gunshots.

He said the attack, which lasted about two hours in the off-campus accommodation situated at Yelwan Tsamiya in Wuro Patuji area of Mubi North Local Government of Adamawa state, was carried out arbitrarily with the gunmen breaking into rooms and shooting victims after asking them questions relating to their identity.

The student said he could not identify the attackers because he was hiding in a room.

In an adjoining room, a victim was heard admitting to be an indigene of Taraba state moments before he was killed by the attackers, the student said.

The student said he could not identify the attackers because he was hiding in a room.



In an adjoining room, a victim was heard admitting to be an indigene of Taraba state moments before he was killed by the attackers, the student said.

A second victim was heard claiming to be a retired civil servant before he was shot, the survivor told Daily Trust.

He also said all those who tried to escape were shot in the pandemonium that followed the attack, adding that he had to crawl into the night for safety amidst gunshots.

Daily Trust

Related story: Video report on student massacre in Nigeria

Video report on student massacre in Nigeria

 


At least 25 students were killed in an attack on a university campus in Nigeria. Those responsible are on the loose.

46 students shot dead on independence day in Nigeria

It was a black Independence Day for the inhabitants of Mubi town, Adamawa State, as at least 46 persons, mostly students of three tertiary institutions, in the town were massacred in cold blood on Monday night by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram.

The casualties, believed to be, mostly students of the Federal Polytechnic, School of Health Technology and the Adamawa State University, all in Mubi, were shot dead on Monday night in what was described by the spokesman of federal polytechnic as a "commando style attack".

The spokesman [named withheld for security reasons] of the Federal Polytechnic Mubi, who spoke to This Day on telephone, said the shooting took place on the night of the Independence Day, at about 10pm, when unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram, opened fire on students at Wuro Fatuje.

He stated that there was sporadic shooting which lasted for over one hour.

Wuro Fatuje, a surburb of Mubi, is heavily populated with off-campus students of the three institutions.

He stated that the unknown gunmen invaded the area shooting sporadically at any moving persons, for over one hour.

"There was heavy gun fire of different calibers around 10 pm till 11pm, when it subsided."

He confirmed that 26 students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi are amongst the casualties. While the other casualties are students of the other two sister institutions.

The corpses are deposited at the Mubi general hospital.

As at the time of filling report, the internal joint security taskforce headed by the Brigade Commander, Brigadier –Gen. John Nwoaga, and the state Police Commissioner, Geofrey Okeke, were rushing reinforcement to the scene of the incident.

It would be recalled that last week, the internal joint Army–Police security 'Operation Restore Sanity', scored a major breakthrough in Adamawa, as one of the key commanders of the Boko Haram, believed to be Abubakar Yola, alias Abu Jihad was killed in a shoot-out
with security operatives.

Also arrested were 156 persons, four are believed to be top unit commanders of the sect involved in the recent bombings of MTN, GLOBACOM and AIRTELL base stations masts a couple of weeks ago.

Also discovered and destroyed were two bomb factories of the sect, including over 300 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and 25 assorted brands of rifles, mostly brand new AK 47 sub machine
guns.

Other items recovered were over 2000 daggers, swords bows and poisoned arrows.

In the last two weeks, the Adamawa State government has clamped a 24-hour curfew on Mubi town in the face of the mounting security challenge.

This Day