The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Joint Campus Council, Lagos State, has called on President Bola Tinubu to form a presidential panel of inquiry into the death of Abel Gershon, a 300-level building student at the University of Jos who died after being injured in the Palm Sunday attack on the Angwan Rukuba community in Plateau State’s Jos North LGA.
The association also praised Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for aiding the evacuation of Lagos students from the affected areas.
The students’ body made the demand in a statement posted on Wednesday and signed by Ridwan Ajayi, the chairman.
Gershon was one of the university students caught up in the March 29, 2026, incident, when gunmen arrived on motorbikes about 8 p.m. and opened fire indiscriminately on inhabitants in a popular meeting location within the densely populated suburb frequented by university students.
He was initially listed as a survivor; however, he died in the Intensive Care Unit at Jos University Teaching Hospital.
The University of Jos’ Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, Emmanuel Madugu, revealed that two students, Gershon and Patrick Ishaya, a 300-level Geography and Planning student, and a staff member, Duguryil Daniel, survived the initial attack. Gershon eventually perished after a long struggle for survival.
The death toll from the attack has risen to 33, as more victims who were receiving treatment in the hospital succumbed to their injuries.
NANS Lagos JCC demanded that the proposed body be tasked with identifying culprits, ensuring their quick prosecution, and recommending measures to prevent recurrence.
“We hereby call on the administration of President Bola Tinubu to immediately constitute a Presidential Panel of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the killing of Abel Gershon and other victims of the Angwan Rukuba attack,” the statement read.
The union described the incident as more than an isolated tragedy. “We consider this incident not just an isolated tragedy but a reflection of the worsening security situation across the country, which demands urgent and decisive action,” it said.
The statement further read, “This panel must be mandated to identify the perpetrators, ensure their swift prosecution, and recommend sustainable measures to prevent a recurrence of such senseless violence.”
Speaking on the resolve to pursue justice, NANS Lagos JCC said: “NANS Lagos JCC remains resolute in its commitment to pursue justice for our slain colleague through all lawful and democratic means available, as solidarity knows no boundaries, and an injury to one UNIJOS student is an injury to all Nigerian students.”
The group also sharply condemned what it described as the ongoing failure of security procedures to safeguard lives, stating that students “should feel safe within their learning environments and host communities.”
Jeremiah Satmark, Chief of Staff to the Plateau State Governor, stated at a burial service for Governor Caleb Mutfwang at the ECWA Church in Angwan Rukuba that the state government will go to any length to bring those guilty to justice.
