We Did Not Kill Varsity Students..Army

The Army has denied that soldiers were involved in the killing of four students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi during a protest on Monday. The protesting students were allegedly shot dead by soldiers who were reportedly invited to the scene by the school authorities.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, at a briefing yesterday, said it took the combined efforts of the Army’s 177 Guards Battalion troops with other security operatives to disperse the rampaging students.

Gen. Attahiru said: “On February 25, students of the Nasarawa State University came out en masse and barricaded the Keffiyeh- Akwanga Expressway, which is part of the 177 Guards Battalion patrol routes.

“This road was blocked with logs of wood and burning tyres, which hampered vehicular movement, leaving travellers stranded for hours. Vehicles were vandalised by the violent crowd.

“It was also reported that the irate crowd looted travellers’s belongings and threw stones, bottles and metal objects at the security operatives on the scene of the incident. However, it is believed that the protest was hijacked by some hoodlums and cult memos, who are students of the university.

“As a result, the violent crowd burnt down two vehicles at the police station located near the campus and seized a tanker loaded with fuel with the intention of burning down the station.

“The combined efforts of the 177 Guards Battalion troops with other security operatives prevented the hoodlums from carrying out this act. The violent action of the crowd led to three soldiers sustaining injuries, following the stones, bottles and metals thrown at them.

“It is important to note that the combined efforts of the troops, in conjunction with other security agents, assisted in dispersing the crowd and removing the blockades from the road to ease the movement of vehicles.

“At present, law and order have been restored to the area and our troops are monitoring the security situation.”

The police yesterday said they have begun investigation into the circumstances that led to the killing of students of the Nasarawa State University, during the Monday protest.

Police spokesman Michael Ada told The Nation on the phone that the police had begun investigation into what he called “the circumstance that led to the killing of the students.”

He said the police report showed that some protesters on that day hurled stones at the soldiers deployed to quell the protest.

Ada noted that the police could not say whether there were shootings. He confirmed that two students were killed during the protest.

He said the police had invited the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Shamsudeen Amali, Chief Security Officer, Mr. John Aboh and some students to make statements that would aid investigation.

Ada said the police would write a report from the investigation and send it to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

“Police action on the killing allegation will depend on the advice of the DPP,” he added.

But the university spokesman, Jamil Zakari, said on the phone that he was not aware of any police invitation to his boss. He said the VC had returned from Lafia where he presented the report of the incident to the Deputy Governor, Dameshi Barau Luka. The Leader of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) in the university, Comrade Rabiu Omame Tijani, told The Nation that he was not aware if the police had begun investigation into the killing.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has called for the removal of the Commandant of the 177 Guard Battalion over the killing of Nasarawa State University students.

It also declared Governor Tanko Almakura a persona non-grata.

Speaking yesterday in Lafia, the National President of NANS, Yinka Gbadebo, represented by his deputy, Comrade Ahmed Jibrin, demanded the release of the students arrested by security operatives during the crisis, saying their bail money should be returned to them.

NANS is also demanding the probe of the incident that led to the killing of the students. It said it is stopping cooperation with the government until their demands are met.

“We hereby declare the suspension of cooperation with the government and declare Governor Tanko Almakura a personal non-grata at all public functions until those culpable are brought to book,” NANS said.

The association said the families of the slain students should be compensated, and government should foot the hospital bills of the hospitalised students.