Varsity Seeks Media Collaboration To Combat Insecurity, Cultism, Drug Abuse

The vice-chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia (FULAFIA), Prof. Mohammed Isa Kida, has urged the media to partner with the institution to tackle rising security threats, cultism, drug abuse and the infiltration of campuses by criminal elements.

Kida made the call yesterday in Lafia during a media engagement on the state of security in the university.

He said the security situation had become a major concern, with a noticeable drop in student enrolment linked to safety fears. He added that drug dealers were infiltrating the school environment to peddle illicit substances, a development the management had reported to the minister of education, who promptly responded.

To strengthen campus security, the university has engaged over 150 vigilante members, hunters, and other community supporters to complement its existing security architecture.
Kida said the media has a critical role to play in raising security awareness to ensure students remain conscious of their safety. He expressed concern over students moving at odd hours and residing in remote and unsafe areas off-campus.
He attributed the off-campus residency to acute accommodation challenges, noting that the university has less than 2,000-bed spaces for a student population of over 25,000, including postgraduate students.
“We don’t have enough facilities to accommodate students on campus. We have less than 2,000 bed spaces for over 25,000 students, including postgraduates,” he said. He therefore appealed to landlords in Lafia to reduce rents to make housing more affordable for students.

He also called for a sustained anti-drug campaign through the media to curb substance abuse among youths and raised the alarm over the resurgence of cultism.

“Cultism is regenerating exponentially. One of our students died as a result of initiation. Most cultists are not even our students; they infiltrate our student population for recruitment,” he disclosed.

He added that the university has intensified community engagement efforts to address the challenges while also ensuring the protection of students’ and staff’s privacy.

Professor Kida reaffirmed the management’s commitment to providing a safe and conducive learning environment and urged journalists to support the university in sensitizing the public on security consciousness, drug abuse prevention, and the dangers of cultism.

“We have been able to reduce drug abuse by subjecting our students to tests and ensuring that new students are properly oriented. We have also engaged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to educate our students and even staff on the dangers of the menace,” he said.