Armed men invaded an off-campus student residential area in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, abducting a female undergraduate and injuring another person on the evening of Saturday, October 31, 2026. The targeted assault took place at approximately 8:40 p.m., leaving the academic community deeply unsettled as concerns mount over the safety of scholars residing outside school grounds.
The victim, Miss Favour Ayuba, is a first-year student enrolled in the Department of Mass Communication. During the violent raid, the President of the National Association of Plateau State Students (NARS) PLASU Chapter, who also functions as the association's National Welfare Minister, suffered multiple stab wounds from the attackers.
Who was affected and when did the attack occur?
The assault happened around 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, 2026, in an off-campus student settlement in Bokkos Local Government Area. Favour Ayuba, a 100-level mass communication student, was forcefully taken away by the gunmen while in the company of a fellow female student. Additionally, the NARS PLASU chapter president was severely attacked and stabbed multiple times during the invasion.
Speaking to reporters in Jos, an anonymous student source recounted the harrowing event, noting that the abducted fresher was seized alongside her female colleague. "Yes, the student was taken away by the attackers last night, and we have not seen her since then. She lives off-campus, but I don't know her personally," the witness stated. The student further appealed to law enforcement and security outfits to step up intervention efforts to secure the safe release of the captive, while voicing deep apprehension regarding persistent security risks plaguing students outside the campus perimeters.
What is the university management saying about the incident?
Confirming the development, an administrative staff member of Plateau State University acknowledged that the institution received formal reports concerning gunfire in a student-populated neighborhood outside the main gates. The official revealed that this recent occurrence marks the second shooting incident recorded within the same vicinity over a span of four weeks.
"The university is aware of a reported shooting incident in one of the off- campus student residential areas. This would be the second such incident in four weeks," the staff member noted. While emphasizing that the violence occurred beyond university property, the official admitted that authorities remain troubled by the severe security exposure faced by learners living in the surrounding host communities.
Addressing the root causes of off-campus residency, the university representative explained that management has consistently tried to expand on- campus housing availability. However, severe budgetary constraints have severely hampered these expansion efforts. Current institutional hostels possess a maximum capacity of roughly 1,000 beds, a stark contrast to a total student population approaching 20,000, forcing the vast majority of scholars to seek private accommodations in vulnerable neighborhoods.