62 were killed in Mubi –Survivor

Recovered weapons in soldiers house-to-search for arms

One of the survivors of the October 1 attack on students of Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Miss Serah James, has said she is still being haunted by the horrors that befell students of the institution.

She also disputed the official casualty figure, saying that no fewer than 62 students were killed by the gunmen that invaded the hostel.

James, who spoke to our correspondent in an interview while on transit in Jos on Sunday, said she was afraid to go back to Mubi because she was still being haunted by the mafia-like style the students were attacked and killed.

James recalled that prior to the attack, the town was on curfew because soldiers were conducting a house-to-house search for arms.

With this development, she said the students had 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.”

She said though she lived near the students’ hostel, she escaped only by a whisker, adding, “The whole neighbourhood was jolted and horrified by the boom of gunshots that shattered the silence of the night.”

James, who said she went to Mubi to pack her belongings to Abuja, refused to allow her pictures published because the killers were still on the prowl.

While disputing the casualty figure given by the security agents, 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.”

She said that although there was a students’ union election on September 29, the killings, according to her, was not a fallout of the election as was being speculated.

The Punch