UNIJOS Students Killed in Jos Violence: The University of Jos has confirmed the death of two of its students following the recent wave of violence that rocked parts of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, with the institution assuring parents that security has been strengthened ahead of students’ return.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing in Jos, saying the victims were among members of the university community affected by the unrest that followed the March 29 attack on the Angwan Rukuba community.
The attack had triggered widespread tension across the state capital, forcing the Plateau State Government to impose a 48-hour curfew in Jos North. Reports later indicated that fresh violence spread to other parts of the city after the restriction was relaxed on April 1.
Ishaya identified the deceased students as Abel Gershon, a 300-level student of the Department of Building, and Adeyomo Temitope, a 500-level student of Quantity Surveying.
According to him, Gershon sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach during the March 29 violence and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.
“Abel Gershon was shot in the stomach on March 29 and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Unfortunately, he died on Sunday, April 5,” the vice-chancellor said.
He added that Temitope left the campus alone on April 1 and was attacked along Bauchi Road.
“Adeyomo Temitope left the campus alone on April 1 and encountered violence along Bauchi Road. He was shot and macheted to death by hoodlums.”
The vice-chancellor further disclosed that four other students and one staff member sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment.
“So, we have a total of five members of the university community affected by this incident: four students and one staff member,” he said.
He, however, noted that those hospitalised were responding positively to treatment.
Despite the tension, Ishaya said the institution’s scheduled April 13 resumption date remains unchanged, insisting that adequate security arrangements have been put in place within the campuses and surrounding host communities.
He reassured parents and guardians that the university remains safe, stressing that none of its campuses had come under direct attack since the renewed violence in Plateau.
The vice-chancellor also appealed to students to return for the completion of first-semester examinations and the commencement of second-semester academic activities.
The development comes amid renewed concerns over security in Plateau State following the deadly Angwan Rukuba attack that left several residents dead and many others injured.
