Students of the Taraba State College of Nursing Sciences, Jalingo, have protested after a second attack on their hostels within two weeks, following the alleged rape and injury of a female student during an overnight invasion.
The latest attack, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday, also saw hoodlums allegedly steal students’ phones and other valuables, while the female victim was taken to a private hospital in the Mile 6 area of Jalingo for treatment.
The incident was reported by Daily Trust, which said hundreds of students subsequently gathered at the college gate to demand urgent intervention from the Taraba State Government and security agencies.
According to a students’ union official who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, the attackers invaded one of the female hostels in the early hours of Monday, raped a student and injured her, including cutting one of her fingers.
The official said the latest incident came despite complaints over an earlier attack in which students were reportedly robbed of their phones and valuables.
“When the first attack happened last week, we complained to the school authorities and the Commissioner of Tertiary Education visited the college and promised that security measures would be put in place in all the hostels, but nothing was done,” the official was quoted as saying by Daily Trust.
The students’ latest protest has therefore focused not only on the immediate attack but also on the security arrangements surrounding their accommodation.
The students said they remained vulnerable because they were being housed in facilities outside the college premises despite the reported availability of new hostel facilities within the institution.
The students’ union official told Daily Trust that the college has seven hostels—one for male students and six for females—but students were still accommodated outside the premises where security was inadequate.
The official said the situation had exposed students to repeated attacks and called for the immediate relocation of students to safer accommodation.
The latest incident follows a reported robbery at the hostels days earlier, prompting the Taraba State Ministry of Tertiary Education to inspect the facilities.
The ministry’s report on that incident said armed men invaded the hostels, stole 33 mobile phones and assaulted some students. Three phones and a cutlass were reportedly recovered at the scene.
Following the earlier attack, the ministry recommended urgent security measures around the hostels, intensified investigation and the relocation of students to safer accommodation.
It also called for the completion and commissioning of the college’s new hostel facilities, highlighting accommodation security as a major concern.
The latest attack has now triggered renewed demands for the government and security agencies to act before further incidents occur.
Contacted on the matter, the Provost of the college, Dr Dorcas Dugule, confirmed that she was handling the situation but declined to comment immediately.
“I am on top of the issue. I will not speak; please give me time,” she said.
