The Nigerian Police Force has beefed up security in Rivers State University, Port Harcourt following a robbery at one of the female hostels on Wednesday night.
The robbers, armed with guns and machetes, invaded female Hostel D late Wednesday night and operated at will without interruption.
On Thursday, female students protested within the campus, decrying repeated criminal attacks in their hostels.
One of the students who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said the robbers dispossessed them of their valuables and sexually harassed several of their victims.
She also lamented that the school authorities have not been proactive in tackling the ugly insecurity situation.
“The boys come into the hostel from the backside where our laundering room is,” the student said.
“They fingered some girls, raped some and took many phones and laptops. After all these the school security is telling us to wait, wait for what? If we are their daughters will they allow this to happen to them?”
Another student hinted that the school security might be complicit in the robbery given their habit of collecting N1000 from anyone entering the school premises at odd hours.
She said: “There is no way you will say these criminals came from inside the school; they came from outside. If you are coming from outside that late you have to bribe the school security N1000. They will take 1000, then they will allow you inside the school.
“If they actually broke through the school security, it then means that the school security is involved. There were gunshots, there is no way the school security will claim they did not hear and the Mile 3 police are just here, but they did nothing.”
No sooner than the protest started the students dispersed after the chief security officer of the university, Chukwuma Ebere arrived at the scene to plead with them, assuring them that the issue would be addressed.
Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka has ordered the reinforcement of the security in the institution.
Iringe-Koko said: “The Rivers State Police Command, having received a report of an armed robbery attack at the Rivers State University female hostel, the CP directed the DC Operations, Area Commander, Port Harcourt, and the DPO Nkpolu to provide adequate security on the campus.”
He added: “The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, has called for vigilance and urged students, parents, and the school management to take advantage of the police control room numbers for reporting suspicious activities.”
- Nigeria’s Inflation Rate Soars to 33.69% - May 15, 2024
- Kano Mosque Explosion Claims Life, Leaves 24 Injured - May 15, 2024
- Nigerian Striker Victor Boniface Takes Home Bundesliga “Rookie of the Season” Award - May 15, 2024
