A tragic incident has shaken the University of Jos community after a student, identified as Peter Mata Mafurai, was allegedly killed and buried in a shallow grave by his colleague, David Nanpon Timmap, at their off-campus residence in Rusau Village, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Reports gathered by PUNCH Metro revealed that Mafurai, aged 22, was a 300-level student of Banking and Finance, while the suspect, Timmap, aged 23, was a 200-level student of Agricultural Science.
The incident came to light after a Facebook user, Happy Londi, posted a video narrating the shocking details of the killing. In the video, the lifeless body of the deceased was seen being placed in an ambulance as medical personnel covered it with a purple cloth.
In another video shared by a user identified as Mc Pee, an eyewitness—believed to be a student of the university—recounted the horrifying scene.
According to him, Mafurai pleaded for his life as the suspect attacked him with a machete.
“Nanpon already cut Peter on his jaw while he was begging for his life. When we intervened, he threatened to machete anyone who came close.
Peter still held him, begging him to stop, but when he tried to escape, he fell, and Nanpon caught up with him and kept hacking him,” the eyewitness narrated.
Security sources later confirmed that the Plateau State Police Command had arrested the suspect following a report from the university’s Chief Security Officer.
A counter-insurgency expert, who shared details of the case on X (formerly Twitter), said the arrest followed a distress call received around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
“The Divisional Police Officer of Laranto Division led a team of officers to the scene, where the suspect was arrested,” the source disclosed.
“Investigations revealed that the suspect buried the deceased in a shallow grave he had dug inside his room. The body was exhumed and taken to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.”
The police confirmed that the suspect is currently in custody as investigations continue to determine the motive behind the killing.
However, efforts to reach the Plateau State Police Command’s spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, proved unsuccessful, as calls and text messages sent to his phone went unanswered.
Similarly, attempts to contact the University of Jos through its website’s phone and email contacts yielded no response as of press time.
The gruesome murder has once again sparked public concern over rising cases of violent attacks and assaults among youths in tertiary institutions.
In a related development, PUNCH Metro had earlier reported the discovery of a corpse near the gate of Township Primary School in the Tafawa Balewa community, Jos North, in September — an incident that also raised questions about growing insecurity in the area.
