Robbery attacks: Ogun varsity students resort to self-help

FUNAAB Gate

Students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, have resorted to conducting night patrols to stem the tide of incessant robbery attacks by suspected robbers.

PUNCH Metro learnt in an interview with the FUNAAB Student Union Government President, Olamilekan Michael, that robbers, who were armed with guns, stormed the area twice last week and robbed students of their personal belongings.

He added that though the school was on holiday, a few students who were still at their hostels and some students who were on Industrial Training were victims of the attacks.

Michael said, “It is inevitable for now because some students are not on campus. We are on holiday presently, and then we only have students on IT and SIWES, and some other students who reside off-campus. The situation is inevitable, so we just have to do something to prevent it. That’s why we deployed the act of self-policing.

“They are robbing students who are even in their hostels; they are armed, they come with guns and cutlasses, so when they enter a room, they destroy the windows. They do not rob a hostel where there are no students inside the room; they only rob students who are still around, and then they go in with guns because they know that the students will not be able to fight back when they see a gun.

“They shoot guns just to let the students know that no, it is a real gun, then they ask for phones and even collect phone passwords from us.

So, this is why we’ve deployed the act.”

Multiple press statements jointly signed by Michael and the Public Relations Officer of the union, Ayomide Oyekan, also chronicled the plights of the students.

One of the statements read, “We regret to inform you of a concerning robbery incident that occurred in the early hours of yesterday, July 9, at two off-campus hostels: Accord and Isolu. This unfortunate event has once again underscored the urgent need for heightened vigilance and collective responsibility, especially during the holiday.