About 4 students and a lecturer of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, have died in a conflict between students of the institution and some drivers.
The face-off between the drivers and students also reportedly degenerated into a communal clash, as some natives vowed to avenge the death of a driver believed to be an indigene of the town.
Trouble allegedly started when students boarded a commercial bus from Minna to Bida, on Saturday, and paid the driver to take them straight to the polytechnic, but the driver took them to a terminal, saying that’s the normal stopping place for all commercial vehicles.
It was learnt that immediately they alighted, the students attacked the driver and the conflict which later ensued, attracted natives who defended the driver.
The Institution’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Husseini Enagi, said the students returned to campus, remobilized themselves and went back to town on rampage, making the incident to become a free for all, during which many dangerous weapons were used.
It was learnt that efforts by men of the vigilante and the police to quell the crisis were abortive.
Some vehicles were said to have had their windscreens smashed, while a motorcycle was burnt to ashes. Soldiers have since been drafted to help bring the situation under control.