Thousands of students at the University of Jos woke up on Wednesday to an instruction that no undergraduate expects during an ongoing session: pack up and leave the hostels immediately.

The order came directly from Vice Chancellor Professor Tanko Ishaya on 1 April 2026, after security conditions in Jos deteriorated sharply and scenes described as near chaotic were reported in areas immediately surrounding the campus. The University's Deputy Registrar for Information and Public Relations, Emmanuel Madugu, conveyed the directive in a formal statement.

"In view of the general security situation in Jos, and particularly the near chaotic scenarios that unfolded today in areas near the University, which heightened tensions and threatened the safety of students in the hostels, the Vice Chancellor has directed the immediate evacuation of students of the University from the hostels," the statement read.

Students living within Jos and its environs were told to vacate from 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Those whose families live outside Plateau State were given until 8 a.m. on Thursday to be evacuated. Plateau State Governor Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang provided transport for the exercise, with vehicles cleared to operate through curfew hours to ensure students could be moved safely.

The University said security personnel had been deployed to protect hostel facilities and the wider campus during the evacuation, and urged all members of the University community to remain calm and await further communication from management.

The crisis follows a deadly attack on the Angwan Rukuba community that killed several people and raised tensions sharply across Jos. The state government had imposed a 48 hour curfew in Jos North Local Government Area before easing it to permit movement between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. That partial relaxation was disrupted on Wednesday morning when hoodlums reportedly used the window to attack motorists and residents in parts of the city, triggering the fresh panic that ultimately prompted the university's evacuation order.

How long students will remain away from campus depends entirely on how quickly the security situation in Jos can be brought under control, a question that the state government and security agencies must answer before normal University life can resume.