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The management of Maduka University in Enugu State has refuted claims that some armed “Fulani bandits” have settled near the institution’s campus in Ekwegbe, a community in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state.
A video clip circulating on social media claimed the bandits set up about 38 camps near the university.
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In the 27-minute clip seen by PREMIUM TIMES, a male voice was heard claiming the Fulani bandits usually demand ransom for people kidnapped along Ugwogo-Opi- Nsukka Road where the university is located.
The clip, which was uploaded on a YouTube channel on 4 December 2025, did not show any bandits, but only aerial shots of the area.
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In a statement on Sunday, the university’s spokesperson, Chidi Aja, denied the claims that bandits were camping around the university, describing them as false.
“These claims are completely false and a continued attempt in the last three years by detractors to spark fear among potential students, parents, and the community.
“The video in question inaccurately suggests that criminal elements operate in the immediate vicinity of the university campus,” Mr Aja said.
The spokesperson maintained that the university “is safe and secure” for staff and students.
“The campus remains fully protected by appropriate security measures, and there is no basis for the fear being spread,” he said.
He assured that the university authorities would continue to liaise with security agencies to ensure staff and students safety.
“We call on all members of the public to remain calm, ignore baseless rumours, and report verified information through official channels,” he stated.
Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES understands that there have been frequent kidnap attacks along the Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road in recent times. However, there is yet no evidence of bandits camping around the area.
Controversial death of nursing student
Mr Aja, the spokesperson, also refuted another report that a nursing student from the university died on 9 December due to alleged negligence and poor administration of drugs by a medical team at the institution’s hospital.
PREMIUM TIMES identified the deceased as Chisom Obi, a female first year nursing student of the university.
There were speculations that a doctor at university’s hospital allegedly administered “a diclofenac injection” to the student when she complained about a stomach ache which reportedly worsened her condition and led to her eventual death.
But Mr Aja said in the Sunday statement that “much of what has been shared” about the incident “is completely untrue”.
The spokesperson explained that the student was examined upon arrival at the hospital before the doctor on duty “administered the necessary medication” in line with the hospital’s emergency-care procedures.
“She (Ms Obi) responded well to treatment at that stage and was placed under continuous monitoring with full nursing attention throughout the night.
“However, at about 4:00 a.m., her condition changed suddenly. Our nurses detected the deterioration right away and promptly alerted the doctor on call.
“We acted quickly: she was transferred in our 24-hour ambulance to another hospital for expanded emergency management,” he narrated.
“At no point did we administer diclofenac injections to her. That claim is entirely false.”
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Mr Aja said the hospital management would later learn that the student had “a concealed chronic medical condition which was not disclosed prior to the emergency.”
“This underlying condition significantly contributed to the complications that followed,” he stated.
The spokesperson said the university management and the hospital authorities share in the pain of the family, even as he condemned the “attempt to paint the hospital and its medical team in a bad light”.
“The circulating reports suggesting negligence, wrong medication, or abandonment are false and do not represent the professional actions our medical team took,” he said.
