A student of the University of Maiduguri
(UNIMAID) in Borno State was killed as soldiers and Boko Haram
insurgents clashed last Friday. The insurgents had attempted to rescue
their detained colleagues in the nearby Giwa Barracks.
The victim, a direct entry student, was
hit by bullets in his Tafawa Balewa Hostel. He was said to have resumed a
few days ago. His body was brought to the university’s Central Mosque
on Saturday for Janazah prayer and burial according to Islamic rites.
A 400-Level Adult Education student,
Abdulmumini Abubakar, was also hit by a bullet while going to the campus
for a lecture in a taxi. He is at the University of Maiduguri Teaching
Hospital. Other students injured in the melee were taken to the
university clinic. Continue...
Guns boomed for several hours as the
university was caught in the crossfire. About 60 insurgents were killed.
A deafening explosion rocked the campus during the clash. Rocket
launchers fired by the sect members shattered the louvers and ceiling of
the ETF Building.
Students going for lecture ran back to
their hostels when the building was hit. Those in lecture rooms ran in
different directions. During the battle, the university was tense;
students hid in wardrobes and toilets.
A 300-Level Accountancy student, who was
at the Science Complex when a rocket launcher hit the building, said:
“We were in class when we heard a deafening sound. The hall was shaken.
We even thought the explosion happened right behind us because of the
bang. We all fled in different directions.”
Students were frightened, with many
thinking that the insurgents had invaded the campus. Some students ran
towards the University Gate 5, which leads to Mairi, a neighboring
community.
A student, whose school bag was strapped
to his back as he was leaving the campus, said: “When I heard the
second explosion, I lost balance. Immediately, I took my identity card
and packed all my credentials and left the campus through Gate 5. We all
thought Boko Haram was on the campus.”
A worshipper in the mosque told
CAMPUSLIFE: “It was an emotional moment for us as we said prayers for
him. We survived it but he did not. May his soul rest in peace.”
A graduating female student of the
university, Vera Effiong, relived the experience. “I was preparing for
lecture when I heard the sound of the explosions. I did not know what
was happening. I just broke down in tears. I did not know what to do or
where to run to. I just lay flat under my bunk, prayed to God and
confessed my sins. Then, I waited for the horror. As at that time, all
my roommates had fled the hostel but I didn’t know where to run to.”
CAMPUSLIFE gathered that there were
three explosions on the campus. The ETF 09 Hall was damaged by the
explosions. The building was hit by bullets and grenade. One side of the
hall was ripped open; there are bullet holes on the wall and metal
door.
Though no student was in the hall when
it was hit by the grenade, an Anatomy student in the College of Medical
Sciences, which is close to ETF Hall, said: “I was in class, preparing
for a lecture billed for 8am. The explosion went off a few minutes
before the lecture time. Everywhere vibrated and all of us ran out of
the college.”
Paul Archippus, who witnessed the
explosion in the commercial area of the campus, said: “I was leaving the
barber’s shop when the explosion occurred. Traders left their wares and
fled. But nobody was affected because the explosion was on an open
field.”
While the campus was in confusion,
Civilian JTF, a volunteer group of Maiduguri residents, arrived the
school, with weapons, such as arrows, spears, knives and spiked sticks.
They surrounded the perimeter fence of the school back gate, looking for
the fleeing Boko Haram members. Soldiers manned the main gate to
prevent insurgents from entering the school.
A student living in 303 Housing Estate, a
residential area adjacent to the university gate, said: “For about
three hours, there was a rain of bullets on our roofs; some penetrated
the ceiling. We hid ourselves under the bed to prevent being hit.”
The halls of the male hostel were
riddled with bullets. A female student said nobody could move during the
gun battle. Another student, Elizabeth Alao, said a bullet landed at
her hostel’s corridor. She said a female student was hit by a stray
bullet.
Social and religious activities
scheduled for the day were cancelled. Occupants of Titanic Hll could not
sleep. They kept vigil. Some brought their mattresses to the hostel’s
entrance.
After the incident, the university’s
Chief Security Officer (CSO), Alhaji Buba Usman, urged students to
remain calm, saying there was no cause for alarm. Its spokesman, Ahmed
Mohammed, said the school would not be closed down, since there was no
direct attack on the campus.
As at the time of filing this report,
students could no longer go for night reading because of the fear of the
fleeing insurgents, who they said could come back.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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