Hundreds of students at the Taraba State College of Nursing Sciences, Jalingo, protested on Monday after suspected attackers raided an off-campus female hostel, stole phones and other valuables, and allegedly raped one student.
FNA News, Jalingo — 21 September 2026
The raid happened in the early hours of Monday while students were asleep. Sources said the attackers entered a female hostel outside the college premises, dispossessed residents of their belongings and sexually assaulted one student. They also said one of her fingers was cut during the attack. The victim was taken to GSCN Hospital in the Mile 6 area of Jalingo.
The Taraba State Police Command had not issued a public statement confirming the raid, the alleged rape or the injury when local reports were filed. Those details remain allegations until police and medical authorities give a formal account.
What students say happened
A students’ union official, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said the attackers came in a group.
“Yesterday night, the hoodlums came in their numbers and attacked one of the female students’ hostels. They raped one of the students and also carted away phones belonging to the students and other valuables,” the official said.
“They also cut one of the fingers of the student after raping her. She is now on admission at a private hospital located at Mile 6 area in Jalingo.”
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The official said this was the second attack on student hostels in two weeks.
Protest at the college gate
Students gathered at the college gate and called on the Taraba State Government and security agencies to protect them. They also objected to the continued use of off-campus hostels after hostel blocks inside the institution had been completed.
The union official said the college has seven hostels — one for male students and six for female students — but students are still housed outside the campus.
“There is no adequate security, which exposed us, the students, to danger,” the official said.
Authorities had already been warned
The latest raid followed a documented attack days earlier. The Taraba State Ministry of Tertiary Education said armed men had invaded student hostels, stolen 33 phones and assaulted some students. Three phones and a cutlass were recovered. The ministry recommended stronger security, a fuller investigation, the movement of students into safer housing, and the completion and commissioning of new college hostels.
Students say they reported the first raid to the college. They also say the commissioner for tertiary education visited and promised better security. In their account, those measures were not in place before Monday’s attack.
The provost of the college, Dr Dorcas Dugule, said she was handling the matter but declined a full comment.
“I am on top of the issue. I will not speak; please give me time,” she said.
Analysis: a predictable security gap
If the students’ account is confirmed, this is a serious violent crime. It is also a failure of student protection.
The hostel sits outside the college’s controlled grounds. Off-campus housing is harder to secure. It depends on landlords, informal guards and police patrols. When those layers are weak, young women are most at risk at night.
The state already had notice. A ministry visit, stolen phones, injured students and a recovered cutlass should have produced immediate measures: lighting, access control, night patrols and a plan to move students into completed on-campus hostels. A visit is not a security system.
Sexual violence on a campus is also a welfare issue. A survivor needs confidential medical care, trauma support and, if she consents, a forensic examination. A college that trains nurses should be able to show that this support exists and that the victim is protected from further harm.
Colleges of nursing are often left out of Nigeria’s campus-security debate. Their students work long clinical hours, live in crowded private hostels and have less public leverage than students at larger universities. That delay has a cost.
What should happen next
Police should say whether a case has been opened and what offences are under investigation.
The college and the state government should say where female students will sleep now. If on-campus hostels are ready, students should be moved. If they are not, the state should provide secure temporary housing and visible night security.
The ministry’s earlier recommendations should be treated as an action list: secure the hostels, complete the investigation into the first raid, and commission the new accommodation.
FNA News will update this report when the police, the college or the state government issue a full statement.
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Kehinde Oluwatosin is one of the many editors here at Fellow Nurses Africa and fellownurses.com.
He is a registered nurse with a Master of Science degree in healthcare leadership from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. Kehinde is passionate about advancing the nursing profession across Africa. As Co-Founder of Fellow Nurses Africa, he plays a key role in shaping editorial direction, ensuring our content educates, informs, and empowers nurses continent-wide.
With expertise in leadership, patient flow, and healthcare operations, Kehinde brings valuable insights to nursing news, career development, and policy discussions. He is committed to amplifying the voice of African nurses and driving positive change in the profession.
