By: Abubakar Shamsudeen
In a moment of presumed safety, Abdulraheem Ibrahim, a 300-Level Agriculture student, entrusted his belongings to his bag while diving into his studies at the library. However, his peace shattered when he discovered a cunning thief had managed to pilfer his phone and a prized power bank, despite their secure placement within his bag’s inner sanctum.
“I kept my things in the inner pocket of my bag. I kept it where it should be kept, even though I am not used to keeping properties there. But coming out was a surprise to me, immediately I found out that my belongings are nowhere to be found”, Ibrahim narrated in a sober tone.
The incident compelled him to snub reading for some time because he could not easily recover from the shock.
“It really affects my studies because I could not not read at the time my phone got lost. I have to come back home and comfort myself.”
“More measures need to be taken by the librarians to ensure that student’s properties are safe in the library”, he advised the library management.
Like Ibrahim, Ibrahim Mudassir, a 300-Level student from Educational Foundations is another student who lost his bag containing charger, school ID card and some other items in the library.
He said: “I kept my bag where other people kept their own as well. But to my greatest surprise, I lost everything for good.”
“What the staff at the counter section are doing is not good at all. They are supposed to ensure students’ properties are well safe, so far it’s their duty”, Ibrahim Mudassir lamented.
The victim alleged that the librarians at the counter section displayed a no-concern attitude when his bag was stolen, adding that he was told that it was not their business.
He further disclosed that the occurrence threw a big dealt blow to him because he was hampered to further his academic pursuits for a meantime.
“Modern European Languages and Linguistic (MELL) Departments don’t give materials to feed students. My jotters were inside the bag. I have written and documented a lot in my notes. I am in absolute dilemma.”
More Students fall Victim, Suffer Ordeal
Abdulrasaq Nafisat Taye, an English Education student, felt uneasy when she lost her phone to a ghost thief on Sunday afternoon. Although, she didn’t beseech to keep the phone inside her bag that fateful day, her hurries cost her a gold.
“I rushed to the man that checks the student I.D card. He told me that he never saw my phone or any phone.”
“We told you that keeping phones in the bag here is at the owner’s risk”, Nafisat added that the man told her.
Nafisat further disclosed that studying became difficult for her, after she experienced her ordeal. The phone theft posed more threat to her when she was denied access to the library because her library I.D was stolen together with the bag.
However, she noted that: “The library management should take a proactive action on this theft issue. They should make use of their CCTV cameras or any other means to apprehend the thieves that are disturbing us.”
The consequence of the menace unfolded a different tragedy in Gani’s story, as the 300-Level student of Chemistry Education missed a Continuous Assessment (C.A) test due to a phone theft.
Suleiman David Gani entered the library to prepare for his C.A test after he kept his phone, charger and ATM card inside his bag. But little did he know that he will not sit for the test.
He suggested that the issue of theft inside the university library can be overcome only if every security men can be active at their duty post.
“It was not easy for me that very day because I had a test but I could not read because of the freak I underwent when my valuables were stolen.
“The issue of theft can be tabled if all the securities can be at their duty post.”
Chief Librarian Weighs in, Advices Students
The UDUS Chief Librarian, Dr. Ahmed Nuhu advised students to safeguard their properties before coming to the library. He implored both the returning and newly admitted students to abide by the library policy which implore students not to come along with their belongings while coming to study .
He disclosed that the policy was introduced few times ago when theft counts became rampant in the library.
“When you are coming to the library, keep your valuables at home or give your friend that is not entering the library to keep it for you.
“Keeping your valuables in the library without locks is at your own risk. We do tell student this.”
“So for this to come to an end, the student should be made to learn how to keep their valuable safe and abide by the library policy”, he said.