WorldStage— Hundreds of students at the Taraba State College of Nursing Sciences, Jalingo, staged a massive peaceful protest on Monday, 21 September 2026, following a violent overnight raid on an off-campus female hostel.
The demonstration paralyzed academic activities at the institution, with aggrieved students demanding immediate intervention over recurring security failures.
According to local sources, armed hoodlums invaded the off-campus residence, often referred to as the “Sambisa Forest” hostel, in the early hours of Monday morning.
The attackers brutally assaulted residents, dispossessing them of mobile phones and other valuable belongings.
The incident, local sources said, took a horrific turn when the criminals sexually assaulted a female student and severely mutilated her hand, cutting off one of her fingers.
The victim was rushed to the GSCN Hospital in the Mile 6 area of Jalingo, where she is currently receiving emergency medical treatment.
The gruesome attack triggered widespread outrage on campus. By Monday morning, hundreds of students flooded the streets of Jalingo to express their anger.
Protesters carried placards demanding stronger security measures, including improved surveillance and immediate relocation to safer facilities.
A students’ union official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that this was the second major targeted attack on the college’s accommodation within two weeks.
Just days earlier, a robbery at the hostels resulted in the theft of over 30 mobile phones and injuries to multiple students, which had prompted a formal visit from the Taraba State Ministry of Tertiary Education.
Tensions escalated further during Monday’s demonstration when the college’s Provost, Dr Dorcas S. Dugule, allegedly destroyed two students’ mobile phones to prevent them from recording her address.
When contacted, Dr Dugule declined to give a full statement, briefly stating, “I am on top of the issue. I will not speak; please give me time.”
The protesters expressed deep frustration that a newly built on-campus hostel facility remains uncommissioned, forcing vulnerable students to seek private accommodation in unsafe areas.
They vowed not to return to classes until the state government and school management provide concrete security guarantees.
As of Monday afternoon, the Taraba State Police Command had not issued an official statement regarding arrests or the ongoing investigation.
