How ATBU Student Was Killed — Police

The Bauchi State Police Command has revealed that the 500-level Geology student of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, who was stabbed and later died in the hospital, was trying to retrieve his girlfriend’s handbag from some hoodlums when the incident happened.

Recall that Joseph Agabaidu, was stabbed by a robbery gang on Saturday evening at about 7:00 p.m.

The student who was said to be the eldest among four children of his family, was attacked while heading to his residence at Yelwan Tudu, which is about one kilometer from the school gate.

His death had caused a lot of uproar in the school as students, angered by the inadequate security in and around the school, mobilized themselves to protest and express their grievances.

Following the protest, the management, in a statement signed by the Deputy Registrar Academic, Fatima Abdullahi, shut down the school and directed students to vacate the campus immediately because the protest carried out by “miscreants” disrupted the peace being enjoyed on the campus.

The police in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, said that the deceased was with his girlfriend when hoodlums whose identity is still unknown snatched her handbag containing her mobile phone.

Wakil added that when the deceased tried to retrieve his girlfriend’s bag, they stabbed him on the side of his chest but he later died while on admission at the ATBU Teaching Hospital.

The statement added that the Commissioner of Police Bauchi State Command (CP) Auwal Mohammed received the leadership of two student bodies (NUBAS and SUG ) in his office at the State Command Headquarters.

“Their visits were prompted by the recent incident which occurred on 2nd December 2023 where some unknown persons, numbers not ascertained, snatched a handbag containing a mobile phone belonging to a lady, one Philomena Ahobee (28), a student of Abubakar Tatari Polytechnic, Bauchi.

“As a result of which her boyfriend, Agbaidu Joseph, (28) of Anguwan Ngas who is a student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, tried to help her to retrieve the handbag containing the phone. The assailant(s) stabbed him on the left side of his chest with a sharp knife.

“The victim was rushed to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for treatment but he was certified dead while on admission by a medical doctor,” the statement explained.

It added that the leadership of the students union kicked against the violent protest by some of the students of the university and applauded the CP for his swift response and for nipping the violence protest in the bud.

The student leaders presented a letter of request to the CP soliciting more security presence around their communities.

The statement added that the CP in his response assured the students of the deployment of the Intelligence and operational assets of the Command to the affected areas.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Muhammed, assured that efforts are being intensified to apprehend the culprit(s) that perpetrated the inhumane dastardly act on the deceased and further assured that justice will be served unfailingly,” the statement said.