Police shed light on massacre of 40 students

*Assailants knew their victims* called them by name before killing them

The Adamawa State Police Command has shed more light on how the students of the Federal Polytechnic Mubi in Adamawa State were killed.

According to Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) D.S.P Mohammed Ibrahim, relations of some victims reportedly told security chiefs who visited the scene of the gory killings that the assailants first knocked, called the name of their victims before beheading them.

DSP Mohammed while addressing newsmen at Police headquarters in Yola disclosed that nineteen of the students were students of the Federal Polytechnic, three from the neighbouring College of Health Technology, one ex-serviceman, an elderly man and a night watchman.

The Police spokesman said six to seven compounds were targeted by the gunmen.

According to him, the Students Union Government (SUG) had only on the previous (Saturday) elected a new executive and that most of the dead were the elected executives, stressing that the assailants might have been those who lost the elections in connection with outsiders.

“In this regard, there is a strong belief that there were or there was an insider that must have conducted the killers to these houses,” said Mohammed.

Responding to another question, the PPRO disclosed that it was a kind of organized crime, adding that this was because the operation was said to have lasted for a very brief period.

To yet another question, the police spokesman said because of the suddenness of the operation, the murderers were using knives before some shots were fired thereby not enabling security agents to get after them immediately.

He further said, “because of the topography nature of the area, which is situated just close to the border with Cameroon Republic, we plan to thoroughly investigate the matter”.

Meanwhile, the Adamawa State Government has reacted angrily over the killings that took place in Mubi on Independence Day.

A release by the chief Press Secretary to Governor Nyako said

Government was saddened by the wanton killings in Mubi, adding that everything possible will be done to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

Governor Nyako then expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the families of the deceased.

Meanwhile, roads leading to and fro Mubi local government area of the state has been cordoned by security operatives even as report from the area indicated that students from the affected institutions were seen vacated en-mass to safety with the aid of security agents while the area is still on a 24 hours curfew.