While the recently suspended strike by the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) lingered for eight months, students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi accused security operatives of invading hostels in connivance with burglars, Idris Kamal Writes.
The suspended ASUU strike has not only inflicted a loss of academic time to students of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi (ATBU) but also property in the period that industrial action lingered.
Out of their faith in the security and safety of their belongings in their hostels, students of the citadel of learning opted to leave behind their belongings at the Gubi and Yelwa campuses of the university.
Least they know that first; the strike will eventually stay on for eight months and, secondly, their belongings are not safe as they thought because most of the students’ rooms across the two campuses were invaded by thieves.
While no arrest was made thus far, some students whose clothes were stolen, for instance, alleged that they have identified stolen clothes on some security personnel working at the security unit of the university.
“I have some of my stolen clothes on one security of this university. We did not trust the securities here because we suspected some of them to be culpable for gross theft meted out on our hostels when went on strike.
“I was hesitant to take belongings home when the strike started because the expectations then were that the strike will not last long,” a final-year student of the Department of Information Technology who pleaded for anonymity said.
On discovering that all he left in his locker were theft after resuming school at a time when the economy bids harder, he was completely devastated.
“I don’t know that my locker was emptied until after I resumed. I had no plan to shop for either food items or other kinds of stuff I needed for the school having left enough items here at the commencement of the strike.
“My dilemma was that I don’t have money to buy all those things again. That means I have to start looking for money to replace the lost items,” he said.
For Muhammad Nurudeen Almustapha, who lives in hall four Block-D Room D-59 male hostels ATBU Yelwa campus their room was not only emptied but also vandalised.
Students’ mattresses, buckets and other cooking materials were stolen, hence leaving them with nothing to rest their backs on and utensils to eat food with.
“We are confused with the extent of this devastation. We cannot believe what we saw in this hostel when the university reopened.
“Some students do not have beds because their mattresses were stolen and even bed bones. Some of us brought mattresses from home.
“No one will think that the rooms were theft because the locks on our doors remain intact but if you open it, you will meet an eye saw,” he said with confusion on his manifesting on his face.
Amina Ibrahim who leaves at the female hostel of the Gubi campus of the university faulted the default nature of the locks to the rooms which can be opened with any key.
The thieves must have inside knowledge of how bad the locks were and took advantage of the absence of the students over the strike period to burgle the rooms without being noticed.
She lost property worth over N50, 000 having shopped for food items just a few hours before ASUU declared the strike.
Professor Usman Sarki Abdullahi, Dean of Students Affairs of the University blamed the reported theft incidents recorded during the strike on the students affected.
The Dean said a circular warned all students in the hostels of the university to pack all belongings home before the warning strike but they refused to heed the warning, thus paying the ultimate price for their failure to comply.
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However, Professor Sarki conceded to the culpability of the security personnel ATBU employed to secure its community after one female security personnel was arrested with foodstuffs suspected to belong to the students.
“Both academic and non-academic staff were on strike so, our security capacity is very very low because the security men apart from being inadequate, cannot cover the entire university.
“Remember we have four campuses – Gubi campus, Yelwa campus, our staff quarters at Kari estate along Maiduguri road and University Resource Center at Tafawa Balewa but our security men are not adequate to do that,” he said.
The Dean explained that the university’s property such as fans, air conditioners and some electrical appliances were stolen as well. “Actually the university loss a huge sum of money to the thieves,” he added.
Professor Sarki said the University is working to regulate and sanitize the security architecture of the university to guarantee the safety of lives and property of both the university and its students.
