Taraba Student Nurses Protest Rape, Finger-Cutting By Hoodlums

Fear and anxiety have gripped students of the Taraba State College of Nursing Sciences, Jalingo, following repeated attacks on students, including the alleged rape of a female student after hoodlums reportedly broke into a student hostel.

The female hostel is located off campus, exposing students to attacks and other forms of abuse by hoodlums.

The latest incident, one of several attacks involving students, triggered a peaceful protest by the students, who demanded urgent intervention by the state government.

The students, who carried placards with inscriptions such as “She Must Go” and “Dugule Must Go!”, called for the removal of the Provost of the Nursing College, Dr Dorcas Dugule.

The protesters also barricaded the main entrance to the college, expressing frustration over persistent insecurity and what they described as a poor response to their safety concerns.

According to the students, the latest incident involved the invasion of a female student’s residence by hoodlums, during which the victim was allegedly raped.

The students also alleged that armed men had repeatedly invaded their residences and dispossessed them of mobile phones, money, laptops and other valuables.

For many students, the attacks have transformed what should ordinarily be a safe learning environment into a source of fear, particularly for those who have to move around at night for lectures, clinical training, and other academic activities.

The students alleged that the latest attack was the fourth major security incident involving students at the institution, and that burglaries in student residences had become increasingly frequent.

LEADERSHIP reports that security concerns at the college have also renewed calls for the immediate opening of the newly constructed hostel facilities on the college premises.

The hostels, which students said were about 95 per cent complete, are yet to be commissioned for use, forcing many students to live in private residences off campus.

Some of the students, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation exposed them to attacks, particularly those returning from night shifts or leaving their residences for mandatory clinical training and other academic activities.

They maintained that they would rather move into the college’s hostels, even before their full completion, if doing so would guarantee greater security.

One of the students said the continued delay in opening the hostels had become a major concern because many students were compelled to travel through poorly secured areas at night.

The students also alleged that criminals had begun exploiting night-time security operations in student-dominated areas to attack them.

A student source told LEADERSHIP that security operatives frequently conduct night raids in areas populated by students while searching for suspected internet fraudsters.

According to the source, students often remain indoors whenever they hear security personnel approaching, a situation the source alleged criminals were exploiting to gain access to student residences.

The source claimed that students were robbed in two separate incidents on Sunday night, reportedly at about 2am and 4am.

The alleged attacks have heightened concerns among students, who are now demanding stronger security arrangements around their residential areas.

The protest reportedly intensified when the students blocked the college’s main entrance and demanded the removal of the Provost.

When the situation became tense, it was alleged that the Provost left the premises through the back gate rather than address the students’ grievances.

The students also accused the Provost of harassment and alleged that she angrily smashed the phone of a female student during the protest when they resisted her offers.

LEADERSHIP also gathered that the Permanent Secretary, Taraba State Ministry of Tertiary Education, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, DCP Didango Shehu, and other senior police officers separately attempted to calm the situation, but the students continued with the protest.

The students, however, insisted that their concerns extended beyond the immediate protest, saying their demands were primarily about their safety and the institution’s need to provide a secure learning environment.

Commenting on the development, the Deputy Provost of the institution, Mr Eric Khikando Agyo, defended the Provost, Dr Dorcas Ndugule Sagawi, and assured the students of her commitment to addressing security concerns and the alleged sexual assault involving the student.

The Deputy Provost said the management was already addressing the security challenges confronting students, stressing that the recent rape incident occurred within the surrounding community and not in any of the students’ rented hostels.

Mr Agyo, who spoke while responding to questions on the students’ grievances, said the management had reported the matter to the Taraba State Police Command and the Ministry of Tertiary Institutions.

He added that the management, alongside security agencies and government officials, had visited the affected hostels and taken steps to prevent further attacks.

According to him, the latest incident involved a female student who was allegedly attacked and raped while returning from the college at an odd hour.

“The other lady who was raped was not raped in the hostel. She was walking around at odd hours and was raped within the community where the students rented hostels are located,” he said.

He disclosed that the victim was receiving medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, and was in stable condition, adding that the Provost and Registrar had remained at the hospital to monitor her situation.

Mr Agyo, however, acknowledged growing tension among the students, attributing it partly to accumulated grievances over some of the management’s policies, including restrictions on students’ movement after 7am.

He said some students had also complained about being locked out of the school premises after the stipulated time, adding that the grievances had contributed to the recent protest.

The Deputy Provost, therefore, dismissed calls from some students to remove the Provost, insisting that she had the capacity to lead the institution.

He stated that the current management inherited an institution at risk of losing its professional accreditation due to poor performance.

“Before our team came in, the school was almost losing its Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria accreditation. The percentage was about 20 per cent, which was less than 50 per cent,” he said.

According to him, the management had since introduced measures to improve students’ academic discipline and professional standards.

He argued that stricter attendance and movement policies were designed to ensure that students received adequate training before being licensed as nurses.

On the students’ immediate demands, Mr Agyo said security remained their major concern.

He said the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations had assured the students and management that additional police personnel would be deployed to the various hostels located outside the college premises.

“The security team came and promised to deploy security personnel to the various hostels to protect the students pending the completion and commissioning of the permanent hostel facility,” he said.

He added that the police had also directed the Students’ Union Government to meet with the Assistant Commissioner of Police to facilitate the deployment.

The Deputy Provost further explained that the college’s internal security personnel were responsible for monitoring facilities within the school, while most of the affected student hostels were located outside the college premises and within the surrounding community.

He maintained that the management remained committed to working with security agencies and the state government to safeguard students and prevent further incidents.

On the possibility of shutting down the institution should the crisis persist, Mr Agyo said the management was “on top of the situation” and would continue to work towards restoring calm and ensuring the safety of students.

Meanwhile, the security concerns have also extended to other student communities in Jalingo, the state capital, as a fresh attack was recorded in the students’ area of Taraba State University, Jalingo.

LEADERSHIP learnt that, in the early hours of Monday, September 21, 2026, armed men reportedly invaded student residential areas around Bakassi and ATC, near Taraba State University, Jalingo.

Several students were reportedly injured, while the attackers allegedly dispossessed students of dozens of mobile phones and other valuables.

Some of the students, who did not want their names in print, said the incident was part of a recurring pattern of attacks affecting students of both the College of Nursing Sciences and Taraba State University.

Efforts to reach the PPRO of the Taraba State Police Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls.