JOS—STUDENTS of the University of Jos, Tuesday, took to the streets to protest Monday night’s stabbing of two of their colleagues by hoodlums another backlash of Sunday’s suicide bomb attack on a Catholic Church. The protest generated tension in the state capital for the second day running.

This came just as the state Security Council resolved that military officers and top religious officials would henceforth not be exempted from security checks into worship centres as a measure to check the abuse of military camouflage and position by terrorists.

The students took over the highways leading to the Bauchi Road and permanent site campuses as early as 7.am barricading the roads thereby disrupting vehicular movement.

The students lamented continued unprovoked attacks on innocent students whenever there was trouble in the town saying they should no longer be made victims of problems they knew nothing about.

One of the stabbed students, a 200 level female student is said to be in critical condition at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, while the other was said to be responding to treatment.

There was a near confrontation between the students and security men who tried to get them to remove the barricades on the road and allow for free movement of vehicles.

As news of the students’ protest spread to other parts of the state, shop and business owners promptly close their shops and businesses as some hoodlums attempted to capitalize on the situation to unleash violence.

For example, a group of rampaging youths attacked the market around Old Bukuru Park near the Vanguard Office, injuring some of the market women and creating pandemonium. Office and shop. Owners had to escape from there to avoid being caught in the violence. Security men later came to restored normalcy.

Speaking at a stakeholders’s meeting on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Dipo Ayeni said it was resolved at the security meeting presided over by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Oluseyi Petirin that nobody should be given special treatment during security checks.

He said every worshipper including church and mosque leaders should subject themselves to checks no matter their status to serve as a good example to other worshippers while nobody in uniform should be allowed into worship centers during services to check abuse of force uniform by hoodlums.

According to Ayeni who was flanked by the Commander of the Special Task Force, STF, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim and other security chiefs in the state, “ to check the rampant cases of suicide bombers using military or police uniforms, the best thing is to refuse any security man into your places of worship. The moment you commence service, don’t open your gate for any security operative since you cannot detect the fake from genuine.”

He added that bags would no longer be allowed ini to worship places, advising worshippers to go with only their holy books security checks should be conducted away from the gates of worship places.

Petirin had told journalists on Monday that new strategies would be devised towards ending the terrorist attacks on churches.