FULafia Deploys More Than 200 Hunters, Vigilantes to Tackle Kidnapping and Cultism Around Student Communities.

The Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Nasarawa State, has intensified security measures around its campuses and neighbouring communities by engaging more than 200 vigilantes, hunters and community volunteer guards to support efforts against kidnapping, cultism and other criminal activities.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Mohammed Isa-Kida, disclosed the development during a media engagement in Lafia, where he called for stronger cooperation between the institution, security agencies, host communities and journalists.

The university’s decision followed persistent security concerns affecting students and staff, particularly those living in communities surrounding the institution. The university said the community-based security personnel have been deployed to areas where students and staff reside, including locations that may be difficult for conventional security agencies to monitor continuously.

The initiative is also designed to strengthen intelligence gathering and information sharing. FULafia said the vigilantes, hunters and community volunteers have established links with the university’s security network, enabling security information from surrounding communities to be communicated more quickly for appropriate response.

Professor Isa-Kida said the university has strengthened its collaboration with security agencies, community leaders and local security groups over the past six months. He said the renewed cooperation had contributed to a reduction in security incidents, while stressing that further measures were necessary to protect students and staff.

The security concerns are significant because many FULafia students live outside the university’s immediate campus environment. The institution has previously faced kidnapping incidents involving students in nearby communities.

The university has therefore increasingly relied on cooperation with host communities as part of its broader security strategy. In April 2026, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that about 200 vigilante members drawn from 11 host communities were receiving monthly stipends from FULafia, while a civil society organisation, the West African Action Network against Small Arms, was working with the institution to improve intelligence sharing, community sensitisation and security infrastructure.

The latest initiative also reflects a wider effort by the university to address threats beyond kidnapping. The Vice-Chancellor identified cultism, drug abuse, banditry and recruitment of young people into criminal groups among the challenges requiring sustained attention.

He also urged journalists to support public awareness through responsible reporting, documentaries, security campaigns and early reporting of emerging threats. The university said responsible media coverage could help counter misinformation while encouraging students and residents to adopt appropriate security precautions.

FULafia’s approach comes against the backdrop of longstanding security concerns around some university communities in Lafia. Previous reports have documented kidnappings involving students, particularly in off-campus settlements.

The institution has also previously held security meetings involving the police, military, civil defence authorities, community leaders, vigilantes and hunters, underscoring the importance of coordinated security arrangements between formal law-enforcement institutions and host communities.

While the engagement of local security volunteers is intended to strengthen surveillance and intelligence gathering, the university’s latest position places continued emphasis on collaboration with Nigeria’s established security agencies rather than treating community-based groups as substitutes for conventional law enforcement.

For students and their families, the effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend on sustained coordination, timely intelligence sharing and the ability of security agencies and community stakeholders to respond quickly to threats around student accommodation and other vulnerable locations.

Federal University of Lafia engages more than 200 hunters, vigilantes and community volunteers to strengthen security and combat kidnapping, cultism and criminal activities around student communities in Nasarawa State.