Unijos Law Student Shot Dead By ‘Soldiers’

The poor security situation in Jos, Plateau State has claimed a 300-level law undergraduate, Shedrach Kums.

An eyewitness, who confirmed the development to THE WHISTLER, said the deceased was returning to his hostel when he was shot.

According to the eyewitness, Kums was killed by a stray bullet as soldiers were shooting sporadically.

The ugly incident was said to have occurred on Sunday.

The soldiers were said to be guarding the school after reoccurring attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

“The soldiers shot him, they were trying to scare students away and one of them mistakenly shot Shadrach,” the eyewitness said.

“The only thing I can remember is that the soldier who shot Shadrach is fair.”

The incident may not be unconnected to the suspected killing of Maj. Gen. Idris Alkali, whose car was found in a pond located at Dura, Du District in Jos, on Saturday.

Alkali, former Chief of Administration at the Nigeria Army Headquarters, Abuja, had been missing since Sept. 3, with efforts to trace his whereabouts yielding no fruits.

The Army, acting on intelligence checks, later narrowed the search to the pond, and insisted on evacuating the water from it.

Speaking with newsmen after the car was pulled out, Maj. Gen. Augustine Agundu, Commander, Special Task Force in charge of security on the Plateau, said that the evacuation of the water started on Sept. 22, after intelligence reports indicated the possible location of the vehicle.

Agundu explained that Alkali was caught up in a fracas at Dura, when Irate youths blocked roads and attacked travelers following an invasion of the community on Sept. 2, during which 13 persons were killed.

Meanwhile, Premium Times reports that Shadrach was killed by suspected herdsmen, who tried to break into a major hostel at the University.

The online news platform quoted Fwangshak Pantu, the student’s union president, saying that three others, comprising a student and two villagers near the school, were critically injured and are receiving treatment at the hospital,

Together with Benue and Taraba, Plateau is amongst the states in central Nigeria that have witnessed deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen. Over 2,000 deaths linked to suspected herdsmen have been recorded across the region this year alone.

On September 28, Plateau governor, Samuel Lalong, imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew across the capital Jos, following repeated attacks.