A student of the University of Jos (UniJos), Plateau State, was allegedly murdered by his fellow student last Friday at his off-campus apartment.
It was gathered that the deceased, identified as Peter Mafuyai, a 300-level student of the Department of Banking and Finance, was reportedly killed by Nanpon Timnan, a 200-level student of Agriculture, who subsequently buried him in a shallow grave.
Sources revealed that the two students were friends and would often spend time together.
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On the day of the incident, they reportedly went out to play football, returned home, and later proceeded to a music studio for a recording session before coming back to their residence.
“Upon returning from the studio, he (Nanpon) went to get a machete. The other occupants of the compound, who were also friends with them, asked what he wanted to do with it, and he said he needed it for something.
“He then struck his friend with the machete. The other occupants of the compound began shouting and asked what the victim had done to deserve that, but he did not respond. They ran out to call for help, and by the time they returned, he had buried the body behind the house in a shallow grave.
“The police have since invited all the friends for questioning and are currently investigating the matter,” a source said.
As for the motive behind the killing, another source said it was still unclear but might not be unconnected with the music project they were working on together.
The source added that the lack of clear details could also be due to the ASUU strike, which has kept most students away from campus.
Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over the possible impact of the incident on the university’s upcoming hosting of the Nigerian University Games (NUGA) 2025, scheduled to hold in about 10 days.
“This incident is coming at a very sensitive time. Hosting the games has already faced several challenges, and there were even talks of taking it away from UniJos over perceived security concerns in Jos and Plateau State.
“People coming from other states have been calling to ask if it is safe to come for the games because of the general belief that the state is not secure.
“This development could give more reasons to those who argue that Jos is unsafe and that the games should be relocated. That’s why efforts are being made to manage the situation carefully so it doesn’t tarnish the university’s image or affect the games,” the source said.
When contacted, the university’s Acting Head of Information, Tongdyen Dachung, declined to comment on the matter.
She, however, said she would need to make some confirmation before responding officially, adding that she had nothing to say at the moment.
However, the President of the Student Union Government (SUG), Jane Pwajok, said the case was being handled by the police and that the union was working to confirm the full details of what actually transpired.
On the NUGA Games, Pwajok said students were also making efforts to manage the flow of information so as not to jeopardize the event, noting that they stand to benefit greatly from hosting it.
Efforts to reach the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls placed to him nor responded to a text message sent to him.
