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

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Video - Nigeria turns 52

In the world's largest black democracy and fifth largest federation, civilisation remains a work in progress. The usual state rituals of celebration and pomp must not mask weightier considerations on how Nigeria can be made a better place in sync with the vision of its founding fathers: Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Aminu Kano, Obafemi Awolowo, Herbert Macaulay and a host of others. Clearly, the Nigeria story represents a compelling national journey at once defined by crisis and hope. For sure, there have been lucid moments of nationalistic pride when the founding nationalists subsumed the primeval tugs of tribe, tongue and faith and forced a British retreat.

These venerable folks also cobbled an egalitarian road map to guide the national journey. But all these almost came to naught when the lurking forces of regression kicked in. Linked to this have been the moments of infamy which traverse the political, socio-economic and religious spheres. The Biafran revolt, Western Nigeria crisis, the military coups, puzzling poverty and successive bloodletting that have swept and is still prostrating northern Nigeria and pockets of extreme violence in the south over the past 52 years border on loss of faith in the polity. We recall that the first military intervention in 1966 derived its impetus from the perception by the young, idealistic military majors that the social contract between the ruled and rulers was being brazenly rubbished.

Unfortunately, subsequent interventionist coups provided pretty little contrast from the impunities of civilian regimes. Over this period under review, informed consensus has put corruption was responsible for over 80 per cent of our national problems. The champions of reform are many and varied. But they tend to lack the resources commanded by beneficiaries of the status quo. But while we point to the negatives of this journey, several events in other parts of the world suggest there is good reason for hope. We recall that, under the period of review, the former Soviet Union collapsed under the weight of its own internal contradictions. Crises in India, Czechoslovakia, the Sudan and several others produced split-ups and new states. But Nigeria holds firm. To the credit of its people and leaders, Nigeria remains one entity despite powerful forces that have challenged its growth and severely tested its resilience.

But we believe Nigeria can be better. Under this period of review, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has held power for the past 13 years, needs to be appraised. Within this period, instead of strengthening democracy and promoting good governance, the party has been bedeviled by indiscipline and a compelling failure to exercise power to the benefit of Nigerians. The PDP has, with a strange consistency, violated the constitutional primacy of free and fair elections as the only way of choosing a leader. Under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, little appears to have changed. Though often controverted, the assessment of international election monitors who participated in the last general elections point to a slight improvement in the process. Today, the focus areas for reinventing Nigeria are clear, urgent and demand action. The key sectors include employment, power, education, security and physical infrastructure development. President Jonathan must define his presidency around these critical theatres. He has a chance to determine how he would be remembered.

Leadership