Danfodiyo University Disowns Bandit Attack Report, Says Neither Students Nor Staff Were Involved

The management of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), has disassociated the institution from reports of a bandit attack around its campus, saying neither its students nor staff were involved in the incident.

The university’s Public Relations Officer, Ismail Yauri, disclosed this in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP on Tuesday, explaining that the incident involved cattle rustlers who attacked a household in a settler community behind the university’s perimeter fence.

Yauri said the victim was a resident of the settlement and not a student or staff member of the university, stressing that the attack did not occur in any student hostel.

“What happened was a case of cattle rustlers attacking a household belonging to one of the settlers. They wanted to rustle away his cattle and he was shot while trying to stop them,” he said.

He explained that the settlement was among the communities the university inherited at its establishment. While some residents had been compensated and asked to leave, others continued to live behind the university fence, near the Faculty of Law.

Yauri said reports linking the incident to the university were misleading, particularly those suggesting that the attack occurred within student accommodation.

“He is not a student, he is not a staff of the university. He is not within the university, he is not in a student hostel, not even an off-campus student hostel. It is a household belonging to one of the settlers,” he stated.

The university spokesman also faulted a report by Sahara Reporters and other media accounts linking the incident to the institution, arguing that journalists should establish the connection between an incident and the university before publishing such reports.

“Whenever you mention university, you get additional credit for your story. Our students are not involved, our staff are not involved. When you are writing a story, there must be connectivity,” he said.

Yauri assured that the university remained committed to the safety of its students and staff, urging journalists to verify information before publication.