FUDMA Students abducted outside the University – Vice Chancellor

By Umar Usman Duguri.

Months after the abduction of five female students of the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, the management of the institution has opened up of what actually happened.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Arma’yau Hamisu Bichi discloed that the unfortunate kidnapping of five female students was carried out outside the university campus.

Bichi lamented that some of the victims are 400 level students who had few time left in the University.

 “I was surprised when the incident happened because we had taken adequate measures to protect our staff and students,” he said.

“But sadly, the abducted female students were whisked away outside the university.

“From the beginning, when I assumed office as Vice chancellor of the university, I observed that our hostels were not adequate to accommodates two third of the students.

“The registrar and personally dedicated our residence to female students freely, and we had been able to map out the topography of the university so as to ascertain the demarcation of the university.

“That helped us to integrate our male and female students in the university”

He said the five students were kidnapped off campus more than three kilometers away from the demarcated university area.

The VC said the victims lived off campus in an area notorious for criminality.

“In the last five years people avoided that route for whatever reason because of the long history of kidnapping of the owner of the house along Dutsinma-Tsaskiya road,” he said.

Bichi said the area is a haven for banditry, kidnappers and their informants.

“Therefore, by God’s grace, we have never ever experienced any issue of kidnappers and insecurity in the University because we had beefed security and intelligence,” he added.

“We have people feeding us with vital information against any eventuality until the latest abduction of our students’ miles away from the university”

The VC disclosed that the University was working closely with security agencies to help rescue the students and avert future occurrence.

“Added to this, our partnership with the police and other sister outfits guarantees 24 hours patrol of the university and its environ,” he said.

“So far we have provided accommodation for our students, placing priority on our female students”

Asked on the overall development of the university, Bichi said the management of the University under his leadership has increased the number of offered courses from 24 to over 100 from the newly established school of PostGraduate Studies.

“Soon in our maiden convocation 4000 certified products of the university would be issued certificates,” he said.