Bandits Attack Female Students Near Federal University Lafia, Witnesses Allege Mass Rape Amid Security Collapse
A wave of terror has gripped the Federal University of Lafia in Nasarawa State, following reports that armed bandits invaded off-campus student areas and allegedly raped over 30 female students, leaving many others injured. The incident, which reportedly occurred on July 26, 2025, has sparked outrage and fear within the university community, even as authorities downplay the scale of the attack.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts from within the university, who spoke under strict anonymity due to fear of retaliation, the attackers moved in a convoy of vehicles and descended on nearby student-populated settlements including Akunza, Gandu, and Burkan Kwato. These densely populated areas house thousands of students who reside off-campus due to insufficient university accommodation.
Witnesses described the attack as highly coordinated, comparing it to the infamous abductions of schoolgirls in Chibok and Dapchi. They said the bandits unleashed a night of horror, raping dozens of female students and brutally assaulting male students who attempted to resist.
“On the 26th of July alone, over 30 female students were raped by bandits who invaded in a large convoy. Male students were butchered while trying to resist. It was blood, tears, and sorrow,” one source said.
The incident reportedly marks the peak of a two-week stretch of violent criminal activity in the area, involving kidnappings, killings, and sexual violence, all of which have gone largely unreported in mainstream media. Community members have expressed deep frustration at what they see as a deliberate media blackout and silence from political leaders.
“What’s even more disturbing is the total silence from both local and national media. It’s as if this horror never happened. There is a sense of abandonment,” a source added.
Established in 2011, the Federal University of Lafia has witnessed significant growth in student numbers, but without the expansion of critical infrastructure like housing. The resulting overreliance on insecure off-campus lodgings has made students vulnerable to escalating criminal attacks
In response to the incident, Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, denied the scale of the attack. Speaking to reporters, Nansel claimed the incident involved armed robbers who attacked on July 31, not July 26, and said only one female student was robbed and a male student injured while fleeing.
“We cannot be in Lafia and 30 students would be raped while we do nothing, and the university management would remain silent. It is a sensational report,” he stated.
(Solakuti.com)
