Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi Uku, has been compelled to close its doors temporarily due to a series of violent attacks on students by hoodlums. The Rector, Prof. Emmanuel Achuenu, confirmed the closure during the weekend, with students expected to resume academic activities on Monday, February 26.

The Students Union Government of the institution also issued a statement instructing all students residing in the hostels to adhere to the management’s directive and proceed on a semi-semester break.

Reports from Ogwashi-Uku indicate a heightened sense of insecurity, leading to the evacuation of most hostels both within and outside the campus.

Incidents of attacks by hoodlums have resulted in the loss of personal belongings, including handsets and laptops, and tragically, some female students have fallen victim to assault.

Chisom Gladys, an eyewitness, recounted the harrowing experiences of the students: “They went to the first room, bending the steel protector and pulling out the rods in the casement window to gain entrance and proceeded to rob the boy who stays in the room. If they had continued breaking down the doors like that, they would have come across my room, but it seems they noticed that most of the persons staying in the first block of the hostel were girls, so they switched to the second block which was occupied by boys, and that was how I escaped being robbed.”

Gladys continued, “They robbed the first room in the block, carting away phones and other valuable properties, and it was in the second room that they shot the boy residing there on the leg. According to what we heard coming from the room, the boy was shot twice, but the first bullet failed to penetrate his body, while he was able to extract the second bullet from his leg by himself before the police arrived and took him to the hospital hours later.”

The severity of the attacks prompted the state Commissioner of Police, Abaniwonda Olufemi, to summon the area commander and the divisional police officer in Ogwashi-Uku for immediate action on the matter.