Fear and confusion gripped Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday night after unidentified assailants reportedly attacked students on their way to a night study session, leaving several injured.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. along the Ifite Road axis near the university campus, reigniting concerns about student safety in areas surrounding tertiary institutions. Eyewitnesses reported that most of the victims were first-year students, still familiarizing themselves with campus life and unaware of certain high-risk routes.
Sources within the university revealed that the students were walking toward a designated reading venue when they were ambushed by the attackers, suspected by some residents to be herdsmen. The attack caused panic, with many students fleeing the scene upon hearing distress calls.
A male student sustained severe injuries while attempting to shield himself. He was rushed to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, where medical sources confirmed he lost three fingers. The student’s twin sister, who was with him at the time, also sustained injuries but escaped more serious harm. The victim’s mother expressed her anguish in a WhatsApp message that circulated among students and parents: “My son’s three fingers cut off, twin sister wounded.”
A university source noted that the siblings had unknowingly chosen a secluded and risky path. “That axis they took is a dangerous, lonely path, and being new students, they were naive to have not known that moving through a lonely path, particularly at night, can be dangerous,” the source said. The male student was rescued after his sister raised an alarm, and he was promptly taken to the hospital before the university security team was alerted.
University officials reportedly visited the victims on Monday morning. The delegation included Prof. Kingsley Ubaoji (Dean of Student Affairs), Ken Chukwura (Chief Security Officer), Prof. C. Akunne (Director of JUPEB), Dr. Anthony Apiti (Sub-Dean of Student Affairs), and Bonny Nkwuaku (Public Relations representative).
Confirming the incident, Louis Njelita, Acting Director of Information and Public Relations/Protocol, said: “Yes, there was an attack, and the chief security officer has been communicated on that, and I believe he has taken some actions.”
The incident has reignited calls for enhanced surveillance and improved security coordination around student residential corridors, with students and parents urging authorities to take proactive measures to prevent a recurrence.
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