Robbers invade Rivers’ varsity hostel, rape female students, cart away valuables
By Our Correspondent
Suspected armed robbers, yesterday, invaded some hostels in the Rivers State University in Port Harcourt, dispossessing students of their valuables and assaulting two female students sexually.
It was gathered that the criminals had invaded Female Hostel D late Wednesday night operated at will without interruption.
The robbers, who were armed with guns and machetes, reportedly raided the hostels before resorting to sexual harassment of two of their female victims.
The development had caused uproar as female students took to protest within the campus, decrying repeated criminal attacks in their hostels.
Some of the students lamented that they had been repeatedly harassed by criminals, claiming that the state university authority had not been proactive in tackling the insecurity.
One of the students said: “The boys came into the hostel from the backside where our laundering room is.
They raped some and took many phones and laptops. After all these the school security is telling us to wait, wait for what? If we are their daughters, will they allow this happen to them?”
Another student said: “There is no way you will say these criminals came from inside the school, they came from outside. If you are coming from outside that late you have to bribe the school security N1000. They will take N1000, then they will allow you inside the school.
“If they actually broke through the school security it then means the school security is involved. There were gunshots, there is no way the school security will claim they did not hear and the Mile 3 police is just here but they did not do anything.”
However, police personnel led by the Chief Security Officer of the university, Chukuwma Ebere, pleaded with the students, assuring that they would address the issues.
Confirming the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, said normalcy has since be restored in the institution.
Iringe-Koko said: “The Rivers State Police Command, having received a report of an armed robbery attack at the Rivers State University female hostel, the CP directed the DC Operations, Area Commander, Port Harcourt, and the DPO Nkpolu to provide adequate security on the campus.
“The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, has called for vigilance and urged students, parents, and the school management to take advantage of the Police Control Room numbers for reporting suspicious activities.
