Benue varsity spends over N300,000 to treat injured union leader

The management of Benue State University (BSU) on Monday said the institution has expended over N300,000 on medical bills of the President of National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS), Comrade Tyonor Smith.

Smith, a 400-Level Psychology student was shot at the weekend by unknown gunmen in Makurdi.

The Dean of Student Affairs in BSU, Prof. Joseph Terwase Kerker, disclosed this at his office while explaining to newsmen in Makurdi the reason behind the early morning protest by students of the school.

“We’ve spent over N300,000 on his treatment and that’s outside what the governor had already given which we don’t know. The university also gave N100,000 as Smith was moved to Abuja even though it isn’t the institution’s responsibility since the incident happened outside the school,” he said.

Kerker said the injured union leader was taken out of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) basically for security reasons and not on the grounds of inadequate medical attention.

He said the students’ protest was based on rumours and fake news over allegation that X-Ray results showed Smith had a bruised skull, adding that the neurosurgeon handling the patient had confirmed his medical stability on the scale of 14/15 after conducting a test on him.

He further explained that even though the wounded student was responding positively to treatment, his colleagues became very agitative to have him taken away from the hospital by the school authority and that BSU management provided a well-equipped ambulance within an hour for the movement to Abuja for his safety despite the incident occurred outside the institution.

“Three days ago, the national president of NUBESS was shot outside the university and not on the campus by unknown gunmen. Investigations showed that two people came on a bike where they were having a meeting, details of (meeting) which I do not know. But they were said to have had a fracas.

“The injured union leader was then outside discussing with others present at the meeting after the fracas. Then, the two people who came on a bike where they were, went away, turned back and shot at Smith on the head. Smith was rushed to the hospital and I was there that night, he was well taken care of,” the Dean added.