TEXT OF A WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), UNIVERSITY JOS BRANCH ON THE SECURITY CHALLENGES BEDEVILLING THE INSTITUTION ON 25TH OCTOBER,2018 HELD AT ASUU SECRETARIAT, UNIVERSITY OF JOS
Gentlemen of the Press
All Protocol
We the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities,(ASUU), are constrained to cry out on behalf of the entire University Community to draw attention to the protracted security challenges facing the institution because it has now become a matter of life and death for both staff and students. Every day when we leave our homes to come and discharge our civic duties, there is no guaranty that we will go back home alive. Therefore, it has become imperative to draw the attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the entire world to the plight of staff and students who have suffered and are still suffering greatly from the security challenges bedevilling the institution which seem to have been abandoned to its fate by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
We make bold to say that the University of Jos has not known lasting peace since the first major crisis erupted on September 7, 2001 in Plateau State, Nigeria. That particular crisis and subsequent ones have continued to claim the lives and property of staff and students of the University, up to the recent one during which the university lost two students and one member of staff. One student is still missing and one still in the hospital nursing a bullet wound. It is no secret that as a result of the inadequate infrastructure and multi-campus nature operated by the University of Jos, many members of staff and students live off campus, making them vulnerable to attacks while going to or returning from work or school. The situation is compounded by the fact that the institution is surrounded by violent-prone communities, which exposes staff and students and university property to incessant attacks during crises.

Many staff and students run into mobs,which attack them at such periods; and it will be apt to say that staff and students of the university have suffered incalculable damage as a result of the persistent crises. Apart from loss of lives and property, frequent disruptions of academic activities are other negative sides to the crisis situations. Staff and students of the institution have become major targets of hoodlums within and outside the university campus. The recent killing of 11 members of the family of a member of staff of the university when his residence outside the campus was attacked by gunmen, and killing of a staff who was driving a marked university vehicle and whose identity was not be in doubt, buttress the point.
The vulnerability of staff members and students living within the university campuses is worsened by lack of perimeter fencing covering the entire land mass of the university, which makes it easy for intruders to go in and out of the campus at will. A clear example is the constant invasion of the permanent site by cows which are taken into different parts of the campus for grazing, thereby subjecting members of the university community to various inconveniences and anxiety. To say that members of the University Community live in perpetual fear, is to put it mildly.
Below is a chronicle of the most recent losses incured by the university community:
Events of 14th september, 2017
i. On September 14th, 2017 there was a security breach in Jos. Dr (mrs) Nandi Gwanshak was attacked at the gate of the Naraguta campus of the University by some hoodlooms from the immediate community of Angwan-Rogo. Her vehicle, a sharan space wagon, was battered almost beyond repair, and she barely escaped with her dear life.
ii. At the same spot on that fateful day, Professors Timothy Oyetunde, the current Dean of the school of post graduate studies and Emma-Emma, former Head of Department of Fine and Applied Arts were attacked by the same hoodlooms where they sustained serious injuries. The Head of Department of Fine & Applied Arts, was admitted in the hospital for many days. The vehicle they were riding, a Toyota 4 Runner, which belonged to Prof Timothy Oyetunde was burnt to ashes right at the front of the gate of the Naraguta campus (where the ASUU secretariat is located) while the university security men watched helplessly because they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of the attackers from the Angwan-Rogo community which is situated directly opposite the gate .
iii. On the same day, a 400 level Law student who was going back home from school was attacked at the Zololo Junction, along Bauchi road and killed.

Events of 27th september, 2018.
i. On the evening of 27th september, 2018 there was a security breach in Jos. As a follow up to this, on 28th september, 2018 the Village hostel of the students of the university came under attack by hoodlums from Angwan-Rogo community. In the ensuing melee, the students tried to defend themselves in the absence of security men and in the process, one student was shot dead inside the hostel compound, one student is missing, three students have been wounded and recieving treatment currently in the hospital.
ii. Professor Emma-Emma again was also attacked on Friday 28th, September, 2018 on his way home and sustained some matchet cuts. He is currently recieving treatment at home.
iii. Dr Timson Ndupuechi was attacked close to the gate of the Naraguta campus and his car bashed. He had to work on the car seriously to put it back on shape.
iv. Dr James Bature was also attacked at the same spot and had his wind screen smashed. In both instances, they narrowly escaped being lynched.
v. The ASUU chairperson of the branch, Dr Lazarus .L Maigoro, a former treasurer of the branch, Dr Bolchit Dala and two other comrades, Dr Jimam T. Lar. It was the smart effort of the driver that saved them and had to divert to another route to escape.
vi. Uniformed security men invaded the village students hostel of the University, shot and killed defenceless students rather than protect them from external aggression.
vii. On the 27th of september 2018, eleven (11) members of the family of one of our staff, Mr Kogi Audu a driver, were brutaly murdered while sleeping at night in their house along Rukuba Road.
viii. On the 28th of september, Mr Thomas Dung, the driver of the Head of Department of Science & Technology Education was attacked by hoodlums at Angwan-Rukuba junction, the Hilux vehicle he was driving was also burnt, the driver sustained injuries that led to his death six days later.
ix. Two (2) students so far lost their lives and a third, a 200 Level English Education student who was shot on Monday the 1st of october, 2018 is currently recieving treatment from bullet wounds at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos.
OUR POSITION
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, in view of the foregoing, we are compelled to make the following observations:
i. The three campuses of the university of Jos are in very hostile areas.
ii. The immediate communities of Angwan-Rogo, Angwan-Rimi, Kwanan- Shagari, Gangare, Angwan-Rukuba at the slightest security breach in Jos, unleash mayhem and terror on staff and students and destroy the university property.
iii. The university of Jos administration has made repeated efforts at trying to engage these communities on the need to live in peace with the university community.
iv. These constant attacks on staff and students of the university community have the tendency of degenerating into a major catastrophy someday if not checked.
v. Each time such security breaches occur, academic activities at the university come to a halt for a number of weeks. This has traumatised the university community and has made the academic calender very fluid.
vi. The federal Government seem to have abandoned the university of Jos to the fate of hoodlums.
vii. We commend the efforts of the Gangare community who during the september 28th 2018 crisis,came out enmasse and protected staff, students and university community from attacks by hoodlums. We call on other communities like Angwan-Rogo, Angwan-Rukuba, Angwan-Rimi, Kwanan-Shagari and Sabon-Layi to emmulate the good virtues of the Gangare community.
viii. We equally condemn the killing of a staff member of the university by a mob at Angwan Rukuba Junction during the recent crisis despite the fact that he was in a clearly marked university vehicle.
ix. We also commend the resilience, courage and determination exhibited by staff and students who have remained resolute and have refused to be cowed by these distardly acts against the university community in the face of such security challenges.

OUR DEMANDS
In view of the continued threat posed to the lives and property of students and staff members of the university as a result of the persistent crisis in Plateau State and its cumulative negative effect on the institution’s ability to deliver on its primary mandate of producing quality research and manpower for the country, we hereby make the following demands:
• The immediate reclamation of all lands belonging to the University of Jos, which have been encroached upon illegally on different fronts.
• Creation of permanent buffer zones around the University to guarantee security of members of the University community.
• Strengthening of the internal security apparatus within the institution for improved efficiency during crisis.
• Provision of a Special Intervention Fund for erecting perimeter fencing for the entire land mass belonging to the University of Jos.
• Provision of a Special Intervention Fund for the construction of more hostels and staff quarters to reduce the number of those living outside the campus.
• Creation of alternative routes on campus to aid escape to safety during emergencies.
• We appeal to the Federal Government to release immediately, the outstanding take-off grant due to the university since its creation over 40 years ago, to enable herdevelop needed infrastructureto bring her at par with other second generation universities in the country.
• The security agencies should as a matter of urgency, identify the killers of the students and staff so as to bring them to justice.
• We are calling on the Federal, State Governments and other philantrophic agencies to come to the aid of staff and students who lost property during the crisis in Jos.
• We call for an immediate end to the grazing of cattle on the campus as it is distracting to academic activities and a cause of anxiety to members of the university community in view of the recent menace posed by herders in the country.
• We also call for a thorough investigation to fish out theuniformedsecurity personnel involved in the killing and maiming of our students during the recent crisis.
• We call on the Federal and the state governments to set in motion machinery for implementing the reports of the various investigations into previous crises in the state towards tackling the problem from its roots.

CONCLUSION
Gentlemen of the press, from the chronicle above, you will agree with us that the University of Jos is literally under siege and in need of urgent assistance to address the urgent security challenges facing staff and students. A situation where people live in perpetual fear of crisis or where parents are in constant fear of the safety of their children attending the institution is definitely not the best. We are convinced that the demands listed above would, if considered, go a long way in resolving the security challenges facing our dear institution.
In the absence of persistent lack of political will on the part of the government to stem the crisis in Jos, we call on the international community to mount pressure on governments at all levels in Nigeria to rise up to their responsibilities to end the protracted crises.
Thank you for your attention.

Dr Maigoro L. Lazarus
Chairperson
CC:
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
His Excellency, The Executive Governor of Plateau State
Minister of Defence
Minister of Education
Inspector General of Police
Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Air Staff
Chief of Naval Staff
Director General, Department of State Services, Abuja
Commissioner of Police, Plateau State
Director, Department of State Services, Plateau State
Commander, Operation Safe Havens, Plateau State
Vice-Chancellor, University of Jos
President, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)

count | 134

TEXT OF A WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE ACADEMIC STAFF UNION OF UNIVERSITIES (ASUU), UNIVERSITY JOS BRANCH ON THE SECURITY CHALLENGES BEDEVILLING THE INSTITUTION ON 25TH OCTOBER,2018 HELD AT ASUU SECRETARIAT, UNIVERSITY OF JOS