A tragic incident has rocked the University of Jos (UniJos), Plateau State, as a 300-level student, Peter Mafuyai, was allegedly murdered by his friend and fellow student, Nanpon Timnan, a 200-level student from the Department of Agriculture.
The incident reportedly occurred last Friday at Mafuyai’s off-campus residence, where Timnan is said to have attacked him with a machete and buried his body in a shallow grave behind the house.
Sources told reporters that the two students were close friends who frequently spent time together.
On the day of the incident, they had gone out to play football, returned home, and later visited a nearby music studio for a recording session before heading back to their apartment.
According to one source, “Upon returning from the studio, he (Nanpon) went to get a machete.
“The other occupants of the compound, who were also friends with them, asked what he wanted to do with it, and he said he needed it for something.”
“He then struck his friend with the machete. The others raised an alarm and ran to call for help, but before they returned, he had buried the body behind the house in a shallow grave.”
The police have since invited all the students involved for questioning, and an investigation is ongoing.
While the motive behind the killing remains unclear, some sources speculated that it might be connected to a disagreement over the music project both students were working on.
Others suggested that limited information from witnesses, owing to the ongoing ASUU strike, has made it difficult to establish the exact cause.
Another student, who spoke anonymously, expressed concern about the potential impact of the incident on the university’s preparations to host the Nigerian University Games (NUGA) 2025, scheduled to begin in about 10 days.
“This is a very sensitive time for the school,” the source said.
“Hosting the games has already faced several challenges, and there were earlier concerns about security in Jos. People are already calling to ask if it’s safe to come. This development might give more reason to those arguing that the games should be relocated.”
When contacted, the university’s Acting Head of Information, Tongdyen Dachung, declined to comment, stating that she needed to verify the facts before issuing an official statement.
Meanwhile, the President of the Student Union Government (SUG), Jane Pwajok, confirmed that the matter was being handled by the police.
She said the union was working to verify the details and manage the situation to avoid jeopardizing the upcoming NUGA Games.
Efforts to reach the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or text messages at the time of filing this report.
