30 Students Raped As Bandits Reportedly Invade University Female Lodge

Tension has gripped Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, following a chilling revelation that over 30 female students of the Federal University of Lafia were allegedly raped during a coordinated attack by armed bandits on student-populated off-campus communities.

The attack, which reportedly occurred on July 26, 2025, left students traumatised as the assailants stormed several satellite villages around the institution — including Akunza, Gandu, and Burkan Kwato — areas notorious for poor security and substandard housing, where most students reside due to limited hostel space on campus.

Eyewitnesses and sources within the university community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the invasion as a night of horror. According to them, the attackers, said to have arrived in a convoy of vehicles, descended on the student lodges, raping female students and brutally attacking those who attempted to resist.

“In the early hours of July 26, the bandits came in large numbers, and over 30 female students were raped. Male students who attempted to challenge them were hacked with machetes. It was a bloodbath,” one of the sources recounted.

Many within the university described the incident as reminiscent of the Chibok and Dapchi school tragedies, calling it a tragic reminder of the country’s worsening insecurity and the vulnerability of young Nigerians in poorly protected communities.

Students and civil society organisations have decried what they termed a deliberate silence from both government and mainstream media, accusing authorities of attempting to suppress the gravity of the crime.

“What is even more disturbing is the silence of both state and federal governments. No media coverage, no public outrage — it’s like the lives of students don’t matter,” another source added.

Since its establishment in 2011, the Federal University of Lafia has battled a lack of adequate hostel accommodation, forcing thousands of undergraduates to live in slum-like outskirts, now exposed to rising insecurity.

Meanwhile, the Nasarawa State Police Command has denied the claim of mass rape.

In a statement to SaharaReporters, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, acknowledged that there was an attack on July 31, but dismissed reports of mass sexual violence as “sensational.”

He said, “What happened was an armed robbery incident where a lady was robbed of her handbag and a male student sustained cutlass injuries while trying to flee. The claim that 30 students were raped is false.”

He further argued that it was unlikely such an incident would occur unnoticed by security forces stationed in the area, adding that both police and university authorities would not have remained silent if the rape allegations were true.

Despite the denial, the university community remains gripped by fear, with students and rights groups demanding a transparent investigation and stronger security presence in Lafia’s student areas.

As at press time, no official statement had been issued by the Federal University of Lafia management.