The vice chancellor of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University Makurdi (JOSTUM), Prof. Isaac Itodo has identified herdsmen invasion, kidnapping, and daily pilferage of the school properties, particularly armoured cables, as the institution’s major security concerns.
The vice-chancellor also lamented the hostility by the host community, which he said is taking a toll on the institution, assuring that most of the security challenges faced by the school will be surmounted through the building of a perimeter fence.
Prof. Itodo made this known during a press briefing to mark the 26-31 Combined Convocation ceremony, with activities beginning on March 27 and ending on March 29, 2025. Prof. Itodo said the university is taking proactive steps to address all the pressing security challenges affecting the institution.
Recall that the recent kidnapping of three female students of the institution had led to the indefinite closure of the school for academic activities to date.
According to him, “We are implementing several measures, including the construction of a dedicated Security Department building, which is slated for completion a few weeks from now to ensure the safety of staff and students upon resumption”
On the issue of when the university will be reopened for students, the VC explained that after the kidnapping of students, security experts were invited to do more assessment and it was discovered that so many security gaps aside the ones they already established and they are trying to see how they can close them before the school would be reopened.
Prof. Itodo emphasised the university’s commitment to collaborating with the Benue State Government, security agencies, and host communities to ensure peace on campus and promote scientific research.
He assured the public of his commitment to transparency and prudent management of the university’s resources.
The combined convocation ceremony is expected to award degrees to over 9,000 students, including those from the university’s sandwich programme, who were previously ineligible for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The ceremony will also feature the commissioning of various infrastructure projects, including a teaching and research farm, a specialized plant health laboratory, and a security department building.
While appealing to the federal government to construct a perimeter fence around the university to ensure the safety of both staff and students, the university don said doing so would also help the institution in its research work and encourage commercial agriculture.
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