ARTICLE: What is next for us in Bauchi road? Jos crisis – Troy Longmum Dakon (A must Read)

The events of the last few days will not be forgotten soon. Every life is important and there are perhaps, many causes worth dying for, but to me none is worth killing for.

While our country experiences widespread violence and rife today, Jossites face theirs too and as usual, we pay the ultimate prices of these unfortunate events. As students, we are the most vulnerable group whenever reprisals or attacks as these happen all over Nigeria because we suffer casualties and everybody knows this.

We have lost our friends, we have lost good and ample time to finish up with our examinations and not sure if we will make it back to school before ASUU gets to strike for the goal line again.

It’s quite unfortunate and heart wrenching what has happened within this short period; students’ homes were burgled into and their properties stolen. This is still ongoing unchecked especially to students who stay off the campus areas and a lot of students will return back to nothing.

These are realities we face schooling here but what will be next when we return back to where we are not protected. Nobody is sure if things will be normal again. Will we keep moving in threes and twos to board keke to school?

What about students that stay in those most vulnerable and targeted areas, will they be asked to vacate those areas? Schooling in Bauchi road is very risky, as the same people we patronize and relate with daily do not give second thoughts to victimizing us in conflicts that do not concern us.

Since 2001, the University community has been a victim of repeated acts of violence, always resulting in deaths and losses of students properties. In 2018 or so, Government made efforts to mount a Sector 2 Command office and checkpoint inside the College of Forestry just directly opposite the Pharmacy Main Campus gate.

Overtime however, this Command became less functional and depleted in personnel size and thus increasing our vulnerability. As students, we deserve more from government. I don’t think we can afford to keep sending Surveillance Helicopters and Security Helux Security Cars to pick up students everytime there are attacks.

What happens to other students whose parents can’t afford to do this for their wards? It is utterly wrong that government always keeps shying away from drafting and implementing permanent measures that can protect and ensure our safety at Bauchi road or perhaps, does government benefit from these happenings? It’s now more than ever, imperative that we return that Sector Command to how it used to be, ensure more personnel are deployed and placed at strategic locations around the campuses and students areas and possibly, see that there’s also another Police Command at BAUCHI road.

Beyond these attacks, students have continuously suffered from silent and side attacks on boarded tricycles. Implementing these measures will definitely have a positive effect in reducing these various acts of Crime and identify, arrest and bring to book, the perpetrators of the dastardly acts.

In this same vein, another checkpoint be mounted at the Permanent site.
Going forward, the Tricycle Association and other Road officers should ensure Licensed taxis and keke be provided specifically for students’ transportation within the university community and up to popular students areas like Farin Gada and Bauchi Ring Road. These licensed vehicles will reduce the rate at which students enter unidentified vehicles which could turn out fatal.

Lastly, Government should compensate students that were affected by the recent attacks. Students whose homes were burgled into and their properties stolen be compensated as well while ensuring this does not happen again.

All these precautionary steps may not amount to anything if justice is not provided for our slain comrades as a deterrent to other killers out there. We can keep trying to protect ourselves but as we evolve new ways of cautiousness and defense, the enemy also evolves to find new ways of causing trouble. As such, justice must be provided for Shedrach Kums, for Doris Bitrus and all those whose lives were lost and in like manner also to all who were injured like Kingsley and so many others.

These attackers must be apprehended and brought to book. This will send a strong message to other attackers that their activities are not overlooked and have severe consequences. We have quite had enough.

Thank you for reading.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR US IN BAUCHI ROAD?

WRITTEN BY;
TROY LONGMUN DAKON