The brutal killing of some students of Federal Polytechnic a fortnight ago in Mubi, Adamawa State has once again been brought to the fore as a student of the polytechnic gives a detailed account on what transpired. Miss Stella James, a survivor of the October 1 attack had argued that contrary to the total of 40 announced as the casualty figure, over 62 people were said to have lost their lives in the massacre.
Although the official casualty figure from the horror was put at 40, one of the survivors of the attack on students, Miss Serah James, has disputed the claim saying that no fewer than 62 students were killed by the gunmen who invaded the hostel.
James, who said she was afraid to go back to Mubi because
she was still being haunted by the horror
of the massacre recalled that prior to the attack, the town was on
curfew because soldiers were conducting a house-to-house search for arms.
This she said the students thought they were safe until the
mayhem of that Monday.
She said, “Before the attack, the town was under curfew for
about 72 hours and we were relaxed that at least with the presence of soldiers
we were safe. They were searching for arms and in any house where they
discovered such, they would arrest the occupants.
“Then the mayhem started in the early hours of Monday. They
went to the hostel where some students were living off campus and started
calling the names of the students one by one and shooting them as they were
identified. They killed mostly those with Christian names.”
“The whole neighbourhood was jolted and horrified by the
boom of gunshots that shattered the silence of the night.”
Speaking further, James said, “On the first day, 40 people
were killed and another 22 died the following day either from the gunshots or
out of fright.”
According to her, the students’ union election on September
29 was not the reason for the attack as speculated.
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