Police operatives in Bauchi State have arrested a 22-year-old ex-convict, Musa Bala, alongside two alleged accomplices, for their role in an armed robbery attack on students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, which left several injured.
Bala, a resident of Lushi, had only completed a two-year prison sentence for a similar offence three months ago. He was arrested with Mansur Yakubu (20) and Abbas Auwal (20), both also from Lushi, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis.
According to Bauchi State Police Command spokesperson CSP Ahmed Wakil, the suspects admitted during interrogation to working with at least 13 other accomplices — including one “Daddy” of Birshin Fulani, alleged to be the mastermind of the attack. The gang reportedly launched the assault from Birshin Fulani before storming the students’ hostels.
Wakil disclosed that in addition to the robbery suspects, police apprehended 36 male and 12 female students over a violent protest that erupted on campus in the aftermath of the attack. He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has ordered a discreet investigation and directed the immediate release of all female detainees. Male students will be screened, with the innocent set free on bail while others face prosecution.
The police reiterated their respect for peaceful protests but warned against unlawful gatherings and actions that could threaten public order.
The robbery occurred in the early hours of Monday when a gang breached the polytechnic’s perimeter fence, stormed the male students’ hostel, and carted away phones, laptops, and other valuables. Students who resisted were attacked, sustaining varying degrees of injury.
Anger over the incident boiled over into a protest along the Bauchi–Tafawa Balewa–Dass Highway, where students decried poor security and inadequate medical facilities. The demonstration later turned violent, with tyres set ablaze, vehicles pelted with stones, and shops looted.
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