UniJos boils as students issue 72-hour security deadline over killing of member

Final-year Building Engineering students of the University of Jos have issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the university management and the Plateau State Government to take concrete measures aimed at tackling growing insecurity around the institution.

The students, led by Okono Emmanuel and Ocha Yangchulo, made the demand on Monday during a peaceful procession at the entrance of the university’s permanent site in Jos, saying students and other members of the university community were no longer safe.

The procession was held in honour of Oluwafemi, their late colleague, a 500-level Building Engineering student who was allegedly murdered by hoodlums on April 1, 2026, along a road near the university.

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“This brings us to our demands. We are demanding the installation of solar-powered CCTV cameras, solar-powered streetlights, and the establishment of a permanent rapid security response unit strategically positioned at key junctions along these high-risk roads surrounding the university.

“The CCTV cameras should cover all vulnerable areas, while the solar-powered streetlights should adequately illuminate these roads,” the students stated.

“The most painful part of Oluwafemi’s death is that those responsible have gotten away with it because there were no CCTV cameras in the area to capture the perpetrators while they committed the crime. No footage means no identification, and without identification, there is no case.

“We want to see active installation work and concrete security improvements, not mere administrative assurances. For years, students and citizens have been given promises by the university administration and government officials, yet students and residents continue to lose their lives.

“Therefore, we are giving the Vice-Chancellor and the Plateau State Government 72 hours to respond,” they said.

The students described their demands as realistic, affordable and achievable, insisting that the security situation around the institution required urgent intervention and visible action from the authorities.

They also urged Tanko Ishaya, a professor and vice-chancellor of the university, to work with the Plateau State Government to strengthen security around the institution.

The students noted that recurring attacks on students and staff had created fears among parents and prospective students, disclosing that a petition on the matter had already attracted more than 1,000 signatures as they warned that further action would follow if their demands were ignored.

However, all efforts to get the reaction of Ishaya, the vice-chancellor of the university, proved abortive, as he had yet to respond to text messages sent to him by BusinessDay as of the time of filing this report.

Nathaniel Gbaoron

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.