Benue varsity evicts over 70 nursing students over accommodation fees

From Attah Ede Makurdi 

No fewer than 76 students in the college of nursing and sciences at the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, were on Thursday, forcefully evicted from their hostels by the authorities of the University.

The students who were initially staying in the main campus hostels at the college of health sciences of the university, were relocated to the former school of nursing and midwifery hostels located along the police headquarters roundabout, Makurdi.

Our correspondent gathered that the students were being  forcefully chased out of the hostels after they disagreed to pay  N30,000 accommodation fees imposed  on them when others were paying N15,000 .

It was further learnt that they were evicted at a time they had already commenced their first semester examinations and also preparing to undertake nursing clinical services by August 11, 2025.

Many distraught  students who were seen standing by heaps of their belongings, told our correspondent that they had no place to stay for the night.

Some of them who were seen crying, lamented that they came from Lagos. Kaduna, Abuja and  other parts of the country to resume school in BSU Makurdi and have nowhere to run to at the moment, as they were not given prior notice.

When contacted, the Acting President of  Benue State schools of Nursing and midwifery Alumni Association, Comrade Nurse Mhange Moses, condemned the situation, describing it as unfair treatment.

Moses who is also the Special Adviser on  Media and Publicity to the State NANNM Chairman, said the nursing students are currently facing critical conditions raging from staying in a dilapidated structures, which had practically become obsolete, to non availability of potable water, lack of electricity, bad sanitary condition, no toilets, etc.

“As we stand now, the college is facing serious issue of accreditation, while students here might be stagnated and  stand the chance of non be recognise by NANNM for one year if nothing is done the governor, as prescribed that all school of nursing should be move into collegiate status.

“Just last week and this week, we have students calling throughout the night that armed robbers came into their hostels and carted away their items like phones, laptops and gas cylinder. What  if these students were raped or any other things happens?

The way students are out here expressing their grievances how they are being maltreated. This is how even in the training, they are  treated. You could actually see coming here, that some  students from the departments at the University were evicted from the hostels. Where do you want students that are coming from Lagos or Abuja to go?

“So, I feels His Excellency should intervene at this point . Nursing profession is a very lucrative profession and the training of nursing should be something that should be taking very seriously.

“So, I call on the governor not to undermine all that he has done, we appreciate  everything that he has done, for upgrading this institution to college alone is something that very appreciative. 

He enjoined  governor Alia to provide a conducive learning environment so that the students can be trained to take care of the health of our people, stressing that Health is said to be wealth and so nurses as custodian of people’s health should be train in a right way.

“About 76 students were evicted from their hostels. The reason is that, the university authorities wants these students to pay a fee of N30,000 for a hostel that they stayed four in a room. They don’t have proper social  amenities like lights, no water, toilets are not working. These students are pleading that why can’t we pay same fees that our mates are paying at the main hostels up there?

“We are going about, trying to resolve this issue only for the authorities to came with this eviction notice that the students should leave today 31st July.

“Very soon, these students will be going for clinical posting and some of them are still writing their exams. So how do you want these students to navigate through all these. They are now feeling rejected, abandoned and moving out to the streets. So, I appeal to the governor to intervene”, Moses stated.