The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS), Yusuf Saidu, was on Monday killed by marauding bandits terrorizing the northwestern region of Nigeria.
This was announced by the university on its Facebook page on Monday night.
Saidu, a Professor of Biochemistry, was said to have been shot dead in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Monday afternoon while en route to Kaduna State from Sokoto State.
Until his death he was Deputy Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Development of the university.
“The death has occurred of Professor Yusuf Saidu, the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto,” the university wrote in a brief statement posted on its Facebook page.
The university described the deceased as a “man of integrity, religion, dedication and courage.”
“May Allah accept his soul and forgive his sin, but this is a painful loss for all members of the university community and academia at large.”
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Students and staff are in mourning
Students and colleagues of the deceased also took to social media to mourn the late professor, sharing stories of how he positively impacted their lives.
Uchenna Emelife, a former student who convened the Sokoto Book and Arts Festival (SOBAFest) when he was a student, said the late professor supported and guided the group of students. Since the first edition in 2021, SOBAFest has continued as an annual event in the state.
“I remember our first meeting in 2021 and their great interest in SOBAFest. One of the few academics who held our hands and patted us on the back when we seemed like aimless orphans,” Emelife wrote.
Another student, Victoria Eneze, narrated to PREMIUM TIMES how the late teacher saved her friend, Hadiza Abubakar, from dropping out of school when she could not pay school fees.
“We were at the 400 level when my friend couldn’t pay her school fees due to financial problems,” she said.
He noted that Ms Abubakar, who studies Microbiology, approached Mr Saidu after a member of the executive committee of her department’s students’ union referred her to him.
“She told him and he paid her school fees for her.”
A former student of Saidu, Shuaib Kura, described him as a simple and humble man. “He supports us and encourages us to be the best we can be,” he posted on Facebook.
The social media manager of the institution, Salahuddeen Bala, said: “Some of our conversations are quite confidential, but the efforts you have made to make me excel in the line of duty as social media manager of the university are enormous.” .
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter for Newslodgein partnership with Report for the World, which pairs local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the world.