Robbers Terrorise FUNAAB Hostels for Two Weeks, Students Left Without Police Help

For over two weeks, off-campus hostels housing students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), have been repeatedly attacked by robbers in the dead of night, with no intervention from the police.

Eyewitnesses say the attacks, which take place between midnight and 5 a.m., have left several students without their belongings, as the criminals operate freely, especially around the Oluwo area near the university. According to one student witness, identified as Confidence Uwa (not real name), the robberies are an annual occurrence during school breaks due to weak security in the area.

“Whenever students are on break, they experience this menace every year,” Uwa told FIJ on Wednesday. “The ones around now are mostly final-year students, and they are the ones getting robbed. Many students will return in August to empty rooms.”

FIJ reviewed a video from the latest robbery, allegedly recorded around midnight on Wednesday, in which a male voice describes how the intruders locked him and a roommate inside the bathroom after stealing phones and car keys. “I hope they don’t come back for the car,” the speaker adds nervously.

While some hostels in Oluwo reportedly have security personnel, many others do not. In the absence of effective policing, some students have resorted to night patrols and armed vigilante watch groups, but these efforts have failed to deter the criminals.

Attempts to report the incidents to the Harmony police station, the closest station to the affected areas, have been met with silence. “They are not responding. They are not active,” said a student source.

Following FIJ’s recommendation, the student reached out to Omolola Odutola, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer. In a WhatsApp message seen by FIJ, Odutola confirmed that the matter had been brought to the attention of the Commissioner of Police and discussed at a management meeting.

“The incident of the robbery has been escalated to the Commissioner of Police, and it was discussed this morning at the management meeting. Please, action has been taken and keep in mind that there will be changes,” Odutola wrote.

As of press time, students remain on high alert, with fear growing that further attacks may occur before full academic activities resume in August.