“She simply asked a question—she didn’t raise her voice, didn’t fight. She just asked a question, and they assaulted her for it,” said an eyewitness.
NIGER STATE – An alarming incident at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna) has stirred widespread outrage after a female student was allegedly assaulted and humiliated by members of the university’s Man O’ War unit and security team—all for questioning the legitimacy of a dress code rule.
According to eyewitness reports, the female student was at the convocation square awaiting her turn to sit for an examination when she was approached by a male Man O’ War officer who confronted her about wearing two earrings. The student calmly responded by asking if wearing two earrings was listed as an offense in the university’s student handbook.
Witnesses say the officer appeared offended by the question and could not provide any rule from the handbook to support his position. Rather than disengage or clarify the policy, he demanded that the student hand over her ID card. The student, who had placed the ID card in a private part of her clothing for safekeeping, declined to surrender it directly to the male officer, citing privacy.
The situation escalated quickly. The officer reportedly called for reinforcement. Two male security officers allegedly restrained the student while female security personnel forcefully retrieved her ID card from her private area—in full view of her peers and other passersby.
Students present described the act as humiliating and traumatic. “She simply asked a question—she didn’t raise her voice, didn’t fight. She just asked a question, and they assaulted her for it,” said an eyewitness.
The incident has been widely condemned as a gross abuse of power and a violation of the student’s fundamental human rights, including her right to dignity, bodily autonomy, and freedom from unlawful search and seizure.
A legal practitioner in Abuja commented, “It is deeply troubling that a young woman was physically restrained and searched by school security simply for questioning an unofficial policy. That is not discipline—it is abuse.”
Students and rights groups are now calling for immediate accountability. A petition demanding the suspension of the officers involved, a public apology, and an independent investigation is rapidly gaining support on and off campus.
As of the time of filing this report, FUT Minna has not issued any official statement regarding the incident.
The case has reignited national conversations about student rights, abuse of power by campus security, and the urgent need for university administrations to ensure professional conduct, especially by quasi-security outfits like Man O’ War.