By RAUF OYEWOLE

A senior staff member of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, Mr Salihu Muhammad Chimo, has recounted how his 24-year-old daughter, Fatima Salihu Muhammad Chimo, went missing and was found decomposing five days later.

Chimo, the immediate past Director of Academic Planning of the Polytechnic, who resides in the staff quarters, told our correspondent that Fatima was on an errand to get some groceries at the neighbouring Birshin Fulani community, behind the Polytechnic perimeter fence, on Thursday last week.

“Every other sibling went to school. She was asked to get things to prepare food at about 10:00 a.m. Since that time, we did not hear from anyone about her whereabouts. We reported it to the authorities.

“It was five days later that some people called me from the leader of the Birshin Fulani community, saying they found a decomposing body inside a maize farm close to our quarters. Her corpse had started smelling. We noticed that some organs had been removed before she was dumped in that place,” he said.

Recall that last August, armed men invaded the Polytechnic at midnight to rob the students of their belongings.

The robbery forced the students to protest the insecurity on campus while demanding their safety.

The protests degenerated into chaos, while police fired teargas to control the disruption of peace in the community.

The institution’s management shut down the school for two weeks and called for calm while ensuring the students’ safety before the demise of Fatima.

Also, in August, armed robbers had attacked students of the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, a few kilometres away from the troubled Federal Polytechnic, where one of the learners was stabbed to death in Wunti-Dada community, where most of the students live.

The Bauchi Police Command, in a statement on Tuesday, said that it has launched a manhunt for the perpetrators of the crime and promised to ensure that justice is delivered.

The Command’s spokesperson, Ahmed Wakil, said that the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has assembled a team of experienced homicide investigators entrusted with conducting thorough, methodical, and timely investigations.

He said, “Their objective is to gather evidence, eliminate uncertainties, and guarantee that justice is administered through a comprehensive process that adheres to all essential protocols necessary for a detailed investigation.”(The Guardian)