About
4 students and a lecturer of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger
State, have died in a conflict between students of the institution and
some drivers.
The face-off between the drivers and students also reportedly
degenerated into a communal clash, as some natives vowed to avenge the
death of a driver believed to be an indigene of the town.
Trouble allegedly started when students boarded a commercial bus from
Minna to Bida, on Saturday, and paid the driver to take them straight
to the Polytechnic, but the driver took them to a terminal, saying
that’s the normal stopping place for all commercial vehicles.
It was learned that immediately they alighted, the students attacked
the driver and the conflict which later ensued, attracted natives who
defended the driver.
The Institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Husseini Enagi,
said the students returned to campus, remobilized themselves and went
back to town on a rampage, making the incident to become a free for all,
during which many dangerous weapons were used.
It was learned that efforts by men of the vigilante and the police to quell the crisis were abortive.
Some vehicles were said to have had their windscreens smashed, while a
motorcycle was burnt to ashes. Soldiers have since been drafted to help
bring the situation under control.
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