Slain 500L ATBU student stabbed while protecting girlfriend — Police

The Bauchi State Police Command has revealed that the 500-level Geology student at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, who was stabbed and eventually succumbed to injuries in the hospital, was trying to retrieve his girlfriend’s handbag from attackers when the incident occurred.

PUNCH Online previously reported that the final-year Geology student, Joseph Agabaidu, was allegedly stabbed by assailants while attempting to recover his mobile phone.

Agabaidu, a native of Ankpa Local Government Area in Kogi State studying in Benue State, was the eldest among four children in his family attending ATBU. He was attacked around 7:00 pm on Saturday while returning to his lodge near Yelwan Tudu market in the Yelwa area, a suburb of Bauchi.

Despite being rushed to the hospital, he couldn’t survive the severe knife injuries. The incident led to a protest by students at the Yelwa Campus, expressing frustration over inadequate security and demanding the attention of the management and government.

In response to the protest, the school management, through Deputy Registrar Academic Fatima Abdullahi, announced the school’s closure, instructing students to leave immediately due to the disruption caused by “miscreants.”

The police, in a statement by Public Relations Officer Ahmed Wakil, clarified that Agabaidu was with his girlfriend when unidentified assailants snatched her handbag, including her mobile phone. When he attempted to retrieve the bag, he was stabbed in the chest and later died at the ATBU Teaching Hospital.

Wakil stated, “The victim was rushed to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for treatment but he was certified dead while on admission by a medical doctor.”

During a meeting with student bodies, the Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Mohammed, expressed condolences for the incident and assured increased security measures. He emphasized the police’s obligation to protect lives and property and condemned the violent protest by some students.

The police commissioner pledged to deploy intelligence and operational assets to affected areas, increasing personnel and patrol vans for constant visibility patrols. He urged the students to seek resolution through non-violent means and promised intensified efforts to apprehend those responsible for the crime.