Mohammed Asmau reports,
A thief broke into Mallam Nura hostel, a private accommodation at the back of Benji, Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS) Main Campus, in the early hours of Monday, October 5, 2026, and stole two cooking gas cylinders, food items and cooking pots from an unoccupied room while residents slept.
According to residents who spoke to Pen Press, the incident happened at about 2:00am. Only rooms 2, 6 and 8 of the eight-room hostel were occupied, as other students had travelled for the holiday. It is unclear how long the intruder had been around before he entered the compound.
A resident of room 2, a 300-level Biochemistry student who requested anonymity, said she woke at about 2:02am to pray and heard a strange sound. She stayed quiet to find out what was happening. She said the intruder came straight to her door and pushed it. When he realised someone was inside, he moved to room 3, which was unoccupied, and did the same. After trying several doors, he returned to room 1.
Room 1 belongs to Tajudeen Maryam, a 100-level student of Biochemistry, and Adeoye Fathia, a 100-level student of Business Administration. Both had travelled for the holiday but left some belongings behind because they planned to return for the next session.
With no one else in the compound to call for help, the resident phoned Shuaib Usman, a law graduate who is still working on his project, at 2:20am. She said he answered the first call while still sleeping, but it dropped, and three further calls went unanswered.
She said the intruder appeared to notice that she was making a call, flashed a light towards her door and threw a stone. The residents were too frightened to come out, although they could hear his footsteps and the compound gate opening. She initially believed he had left without taking anything.
Usman later arrived with another man who is not a student and asked the residents to come outside. According to the resident, they found that one side of room 1’s door had been broken, although the padlock was intact. The room’s belongings were scattered, and two cooking gas cylinders, food items and cooking pots were missing.
Murtala Maryam, a graduate of Science and Vocational Education who is still working on her project, spoke to Pen Press on behalf of the owners of the stolen items. She said the food items and one of the gas cylinders belonged to Tajudeen Maryam, while the larger pots belonged to Adeoye Fathia, who uses them to prepare chin chin and groundnuts for sale.
At about 7:30am, the residents reported the incident to the landlord, Mallam Nura. Ibrahim Nafisah, a resident who understands Hausa well, explained what had happened to him in the language. She told Pen Press that three of the landlord’s brothers were present and listened to the account.
According to Nafisah, Mallam Nura suspects the intruder is someone from the area or someone familiar with the hostel, and does not think he necessarily came from far away. The intruder’s identity remains unknown.
Following the report, the landlord called a bricklayer to raise the height of the hostel’s fence with more blocks. The damaged door of room 1 was repaired the following day.
Students in private hostels are advised to ensure doors, windows and gates are secure before sleeping, keep emergency contacts of neighbours and nearby responders saved, and report security concerns to landlords immediately and in writing. Students who experience or witness an incident like this are encouraged to report it to university authorities.