For Immediate Release:

Abuja,

 August 6, 2025 

CLEEN FOUNDATION CONDEMNS BANDIT ATTACKS ON FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF LAFIA STUDENTS.

It is with grave concern and indignation that we address the recent attacks on students of the Federal University of Lafia. The safety and well-being of our students are paramount, and such acts of violence and intimidation are utterly unacceptable. CLEEN Foundation unequivocally condemns the brutal and inhumane attacks on students of the Federal University of Lafia by armed bandits, which have involved mass rape, abductions, and cold-blooded killings. These reprehensible acts of violence against unarmed students, particularly in an educational environment, are unacceptable and constitute a gross violation of fundamental human rights and national security.

The attacks, which occurred in student-populated settlements surrounding the university particularly in Akunza, Gandu, and Burkan Kwato, densely inhabited slum-like communities are reported to bear striking resemblance to the terror tactics employed by Boko Haram. In a coordinated assault, over 30 female students were reportedly raped, while several male students who resisted were gruesomely murdered. By the time the attackers withdrew, they had left behind a trail of destruction, anguish, and trauma that has deeply scarred the university community.

Universities are meant to be safe havens for learning, innovation, and development—not zones of fear and bloodshed. The rising trend of attacks on educational institutions by criminal elements is alarming and demands urgent, coordinated, and sustained action. This horrific incident mirrors the tragic Chibok and Dapchi abductions and underscores the persistent failure of the Nigerian state to protect its citizens, especially vulnerable students. It is a grim reminder of the ongoing devaluation of human life and the unchecked reign of terror that continues to plague the country.

CLEEN Foundation demands:

1. The Federal Government Safe School Initiative must be reviewed, and the Nigerian Police Force and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) must deploy adequate personnel and surveillance technology to secure campuses and surrounding communities across the country.
2. The National Assembly should prioritize legislation that formally designates student-dense settlements as Educational Safe Zones, requiring special security attention and infrastructure development.
3. Host communities to collaborate with security agencies and university authorities to deny safe havens to bandits. Traditional leaders should facilitate the sharing of intelligence to prevent further attacks.
4. The Federal Government and relevant security agencies must launch a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation into the Federal University Lafia attacks, ensuring all perpetrators are identified, apprehended, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
5. The survivors, both female and male students, must receive immediate medical care, psychological support, trauma counselling, and long-term rehabilitation to help them recover and reintegrate into society.
6. Federal University, Lafia’s management to prioritise safe student accommodations and work with stakeholders to implement sustainable security solutions.

This moment calls for more than condemnation it demands concrete action. Nigeria cannot afford to normalize the mass violation of its youth, especially within institutions meant to be sanctuaries of learning and growth. We urge all stakeholders, government authorities, security agencies, civil society, and the international community, to treat this tragedy with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

Peter Maduoma

Ag. Executive Director