By Chioma Onuegbu

Uyo – TENSION is brewing in the town campus of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) following the incessant armed robbery attacks on female students staying on campus.

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Vanguard gathered that one Peace whose surname could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report was given deep machete cuts on her head when the hoodlums numbering over six stormed the most popular female hostel , hall 6 at the town campus.

It was gathered that Peace the victim was rushed to the University Health centre immediately to ensure she did not bleed to death from the matchete cuts.

A student who simply identified herself as Mary disclosed that students have been packing out of the Hall 6 hostel following the incessant robbery attacks on them since the beginning of this year.

Mary said the hoodlums usually disposses their victims of cellphones, and accessories and money.

She suspected that the location of that particular female hostel close to the Ravin could have been responsible for the incessant robbery attacks on that particular hostel.

Mary disclosed, “The armed robbers first attacked Hall 6 on Monday. On Thursday they also stormed the same hostel with guns and cutlasses. It was during the attack on Thursday that they gave machete cut on one Peace because she refused to hand them over her Cellphone.

“And we even gathered that she (Peace) doesn’t stay in that room (Room22). She only came to visit her friend. They always attack that hostel and many students are already packing out for fear of the unknown. Two months ago that hostel was also attacked.

“Again, there is no male hostel in the whole of the town campus. The Newest Hostel, Hall 2, Hall 3 Hall3B, and Hall6 are all female hostels. And unfortunately we have only one security man on the town campus, so whenever the robbers attack the students are helpless”

Another student in the department of Communication Arts, who did not want his name mentioned expressed regret that since the beginning of the year that armed robbers had been attacking Students’ on campus, University management and security agencies have not taken proactive steps to check the menace.

“There had been several attacks on the town campus. Sometimes they get many students injured, and the police and school management will assure us that they are going to do something to address the problem but nothing has been done.

“Many of us are not happy over this development. In fact we heard that after the Thursday attack the hoodlums even promised to attack again. They promised on Monday that they will visit again, and on Thursday they did. They robbed their victims and escaped successfully. It is sad and unfortunate”

He added that the development prompted the students to take to the Streets of Uyo, the state capital on Thursday immediately after the incident to protest against the insecurity challenge and to call on relevant authorities to be alive to their responsibility of ensuring the protection of the lives of the students.

However, addressing the students the Vice Chancellor, Professor Enefiok Essien who was accompanied by the Dean of Students Affairs condemned the attacks and assured them that efforts have been put in place to bring the perpetrators to book without delay.

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Essien who pleaded with the Students to remain calm, noted that the management has talked with security agencies especially the police to deploy security agents to the Campuses, ” to forestall further attack on the students”

Vanguard