Students Detain Caretaker over power outage in Gwallameji village

Tension flared in Gwallameji village, a student-dominated area near the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, after residents of a lodge named “EFCC” reportedly locked up their caretaker for hours over a prolonged electricity outage.

The Caretaker in black being dragged by the police 

The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 8, when frustrated students confined the caretaker inside the lodge premises from around 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., accusing him of negligence. According to reports, the lodge had been without electricity for over a week despite students paying their full rent, including fees meant for electricity.

The caretaker, whose name isMarcus Yakubu Maikano, reportedly contacted his lawyer, claiming he was being unlawfully detained by the students. The lawyer arrived at the scene in the company of three police officers. However, after a brief investigation, the police discovered that the students' frustration was valid.

 The caretaker had indeed collected full payment from the students including electricity fees, but failed to ensure consistent power supply.

Following the findings, the police arrested the caretaker and took him away for further questioning.

 Video of the caretaker entering the police van

Speaking to reporters, one of the lodge residents, Thankgod Appolos Adamu, expressed his disappointment. “This is very unfair. I only read at night when everywhere is quiet, but for the past week, I haven’t opened my books because of the darkness. Our exams are coming up, and this is affecting us.”

Gwallameji is a densely populated student village that houses hundreds of students from the Federal Polytechnic Bauchi. Many of them depend on off-campus accommodation such as EFCC Lodge to pursue their academic activities.

Residents of the lodge are calling on authorities and landlords in the area to ensure basic amenities are consistently provided, especially as examination season approaches.

           The police calming the students