INVESTIGATION: Inside Bad ‘Ghetto’ Pushing Students to Fear, Assault in UDUS

By Abdulganiyu Azeez

In this story, The News Digest Press’ reporter, Abdulganiyu Azeez exposes how a gang of men(ghetto) is subjecting students to fear and assault in Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

It was a breezy evening on Sunday when students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto(UDUS) were preparing for the second-semester examination of the
2020/2021 academic session.

Issa Adekunle* is one of those students. The 200-level law student—now in 300-level
because the school subsumed 2021/2022 academic session in 2022/2023—was headed to the Faculty of Law from Benji, one of the private hostels in Danfodiyo varsity.

Musing on how to devour the bulky law textbooks ahead of the examination, the 23-years-old undergraduate was walking through the lonely path leading to the Faculty of Law from the new Faculty of Engineering.

When he reached the spot beside the fence of the new Faculty of Engineering, he stumbled on a gang of men, who, according to Adekunle, were smoking what looked like cigarettes or marijuana(popularly known as ‘weed’ in Nigeria).

“When I reached there, my heart was palpitating. One among them suddenly stood up and tried to hit me, fortunately I blocked his strike with my hands and ran for safety,” Adekunle said.

Similar to Adekunle’s story, Bakare Hakeem while speaking with The News Digest Press said he was always enveloped in fear whenever he passed through the narrow arcade leading to the faculty of law from Benji hostel.

“Each time I’m returning or going to the faculty of law at night or in the evening, the mere presence of the convoy of smokers makes me feel so uncomfortable,”he said. “Most times I passed around this arcade, I used to be in thought. The question “what if I was trapped?” keeps ringing in my head.”

The act of the perpetrators—smoking, drinking and harassing students— in the area is in contravention of Chapter V, paragraph 5.1(iv) and (xix) of the Revised Students’ Handbook, 2020/2021. The paragraph, which regulates the general governing conduct of students, prohibits the taking of intoxicants and harassment to the body of another person within the University premises.

(iv) provides: “Students are prohibited from possessing, consuming or trading in alcoholic drinks, illicit drugs as well as any other intoxicant within the University premises and shall, on contravention, be rusticated for two semesters or one session and debarred from boarding in the halls of residence.”

While (xix) state that “Any physical harassment to the body of another person within the University premises shall attract a minimum of rustication for two semesters or session or a maximum of expulsion from the University.”

The ‘Ghetto‘

The ghetto is located close to the new Faculty of Engineering. It’s a spot linking the students going/coming from the Benji hostel to the Faculty of Law.

Drenched with tall trees, it’s the shortest route linking residents of Benji hostel to places such as Law Village, Faculty of Law, UDUS Central Mosque and Education Mosque; and also those coming from the Faculty of Social Science, Management Science to the school mini-market.

Though some students are also among,
The News Digest Press observed that most of the perpetrators in the ghetto are not students of the university; they are villagers living within the school community.

The sad tales of Adekunle and Hakeem illustrate the tribulations and fears students have to encounter while coming from Benji hostel to the above mentioned places. There is —particularly in the evening and early in the night — always a group of smokers who puff weed every time of the day and yet they do this unchecked. However, they don’t just drink or smoke alone, but also serve as threats to innocent students going about their academic dealings.

Nnma Lawal who’s also a student that normally passes through the area, said the presence of the smokers and drunkards around the place usually put him in a state of fear.

“The conduct of the smokers are so detrimental to the school environment and also to the students most especially the female students that pass through the route to their respective faculties. Their assembly can easily conspire to commit an unlawful act such as theft,” Usman added.

UDUS CSO Reacts

Speaking with the Chief Security Officer(CSO) of UDUS, Abdullahi Gwandu said the school security unit has no knowledge of the existence of such a ghetto.

He, however, expressed his disappointment, saying that no student ever made a report of any attack from that side.

“We’re not aware of any attack in that area. Besides,we can’t do anything against what we’re not aware of. But we’re promising to take necessary actions against the gang. Importantly, students are expected to give a report of any threat or attack to the security unit.”

The assertion of the CSO is in conjunction with the paragraph 5.1(ii) of the Revised Students Handbook, 2020/2021 which provides thus: “Any breach of peace or social nuisance within the University premises should be reported to the appropriate University officer ( such as porter, caretaker, matron,hall administrator, security officer etc.)”

Editor’s note: The name marked with asterisk(*) has been changed to protect the subjects’ identity.