The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of 48 students from the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, following a violent protest sparked by an armed robbery incident on campus. Sixteen suspected robbers were also apprehended in connection with the unrest.
According to Police Public Relations Officer Ahmed Wakil, the disturbance began after hoodlums allegedly scaled the school’s fence on Monday night, stormed the male students’ hostel, and stole valuables including smartphones and laptops. Two students were injured in the attack.
The institution’s management, in a statement signed by Registrar Kasimu Salihu, announced an immediate shutdown of the school after the robbery triggered a Tuesday morning protest at the main gate. Students, joined by residents of the host community, Yelwa–Gwallameji, demanded urgent action to address the recurring insecurity in the area.
Witnesses told SaharaReporters that police responded with teargas to disperse the demonstrators, escalating tensions. “The students were protesting because armed robbers attacked them last night, robbing and torturing some. But police fired teargas at the protesters,” said local resident David Adenuga.
Wakil explained that police officers initially treated the injured at the school’s clinic and listened to students’ complaints, which included inadequate campus security and poor medical facilities. However, he alleged that the protest later turned violent, with students blocking the Bauchi/Tafawa Balewa–Dass highway, burning tyres, throwing stones at commuters, and looting shops.
A police reinforcement team was deployed, leading to the arrest of 36 male and 12 female students. Three suspected armed robbers — identified as Mansur Yakubu (20), Abbas Auwal (20), and Musa Bala (20) — were also taken into custody. Police said the suspects confessed to carrying out the robbery with several accomplices, some of whom remain at large.
One of the suspects, Musa Bala, allegedly admitted to being an ex-convict recently released after serving a two-year sentence for a similar offence. The Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has ordered a discreet investigation and directed that all female students be released, while male detainees will be screened and freed if found uninvolved.
