by Rachel Ogbu

Nasarawa State University, Keffi was closed down yesterday after four students were reportedly killed during a protest over scarcity of water and power in the institution.

It was claimed that security operatives in Keffi shot the demonstrating youths which included a 400 Level Geography student while several others received gunshot injuries but the police denied shooting the students, saying they only cleared the highway blocked by the protesting undergraduates.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the Nasarawa State Police Command, Michael Ada, said two students died, while seven others received gunshot injuries.

The President of the Students Union was arrested with 17 others. A deputy superintendent of Police known only as Ada allegedly said any question relating to the incident should be directed to the army.

“The policemen that went to the scene only cleared the expressway that was blocked by the students. Two students were killed and seven others were hospitalized for injuries sustained during the violent protest.

“Any question on the killing should be directed to the Army. They have their Public Relations Unit, the police were not involved in the shootings,” Ada said.

However, director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, denied the suggestions that soldiers shot the students down because they were not on assignment to the situation.

The Punch reports:

He said soldiers were not deployed for the purpose of stopping the protest in the university.

Attahiru said soldiers could not have gone to the scene of the protest to shoot the said students, as there was no deployment.

He explained that soldiers were on patrol duty during the demonstration at Keffi but did not have any altercation with the students whatsoever.

The Army Director of Information stated further that the police and other security agencies were on the ground to handle the crisis.

He said, “What these people are writing is not correct, Soldiers were not deployed and couldn’t have carried out the shooting.

“Our men were on patrol duty at Keffi. The students, who were protesting, had blocked the road but soldiers did not have any altercation with them.

“There were the police and other security agencies, who were on the ground to handle the situation.

“There is also this information we have that the police even recovered some arms from the students who were protesting.”