Bauchi State Police Command has arrested three suspected armed robbers and 48 students — 36 males and 12 females — following violent protests at the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi on Tuesday.
The police, in a statement issued by its spokesperson in Bauchi, Ahmad Wakili, said the unrest began after suspected hoodlums broke into the male students’ hostel in the early hours of August 12, and stole mobile phones and injured some students.
The attack, which occurred deep into the night, sparked student grievances over inadequate campus security, poor clinic facilities, and other welfare concerns.
According to the police, while the Deputy Rector and Registrar addressed the students’ complaints, the situation escalated as protesters blocked the Bauchi–Tafawa Balewa-Dass–Dass highway, burned tyres, pelted commuters with stones, and looted nearby shops.
Police officer dispersed the crowd using what the Command described as “minimal force,” and arrested 48 students for their alleged involvement in the violence.
A subsequent police investigation led to the arrest of three men accused of carrying out the hostel robbery. The suspects — Mansur Yakubu (20), Abbas Auwal (20), and Musa Bala (20), all from the Lushi area of Bauchi metropolis — allegedly conspired with more than a dozen others to invade the hostel, steal valuables including phones and laptops, and assault students who resisted.
Police said Musa Bala, an ex-convict recently released after serving a two-year sentence for a similar offence, confessed to being recruited by a man known as “Daddy” from Birshin Fulani, described as the mastermind of the attack.
Commissioner of Police Sani-Omolori Aliyu ordered the immediate release of the arrested female students and directed that innocent male students be freed after profiling, while those found culpable will be charged in court.
The Command reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property while warning against any unlawful protests, assemblies, or actions capable of disrupting peace in the state.
