Four Nasarawa varsity protesting students shot dead

Four Students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi,  were on Monday shot dead by security operatives in Keffi during a demonstration in the vicinity of the institution.

A 400 Level student of Geography, simply identified as Aminu, was said to be among those killed, while several others received gunshot injuries.

The crisis compelled the authorities to shut down the institution.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the Nasarawa State Police Command, Mr. Michael Ada, said two students died, while seven others received gunshot injuries.

About 17 other students were arrested by security agents, including the institution’s President of the Students Union.

The students of the institution were said to have blocked the Abuja/Keffi road in protest over scarcity of water and power in the institution.

But the police denied shooting the students, saying they only cleared the highway blocked by the protesting students Ada, a Deputy Superintendent of Police,  absolved the police of involvement in the killing of the students. He said any question relating to the incident should be directed to the Army.

He said, “The policemen that went to the scene only cleared the expressway that was blocked by the students. Two students were killed and seven others were hospitalized for injuries sustained during the violent protest.

“Any question on the killing should be directed to the Army. They have their Public Relations Unit, the police were not involved in the shootings.”

But the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, denied the claim that soldiers did the shooting.

He said soldiers were not deployed for the purpose of stopping the protest in the university.

Attahiru said soldiers could not have gone to the scene of the protest to shoot the said students, as there was no deployment.

He explained that soldiers were on patrol duty during the demonstration at Keffi but did not have any altercation with the students whatsoever.

The Army Director of Information stated further that the police and other security agencies were on the ground to handle the crisis.

He said, “What these people are writing is not correct, Soldiers were not deployed and couldn’t have carried out the shooting.

“Our men were on patrol duty at Keffi. The students, who were protesting, had blocked the road but soldiers did not have any altercation with them.

“There were the police and other security agencies, who were on the ground to handle the situation.

“There is also this information we have that the police even recovered some arms from the students who were protesting.”