UNITY TIMES NORTHWEST BUREAU
Mallam Nasiru Gusau Marafa, the Bursar of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has been shot dead in Zamfara State while returning from Gusau, according to the university.
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NOUN announced his death on Sunday, September 6, describing the incident as sudden and deeply painful. The university said information available to it indicated that Marafa was reportedly shot while returning from Gusau, but it did not disclose the precise location of the shooting, the identity of the attackers or the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Marafa was not an ordinary traveller caught in an isolated incident. He was a senior university administrator responsible for the financial affairs of one of Nigeria’s largest higher-education institutions.
His death therefore raises another uncomfortable question about the security of Nigeria’s roads: How safe is movement across parts of the country, even for senior public officials and professionals?
Marafa was appointed Bursar of NOUN in September 2022, with a five-year tenure. The university described him as a dedicated administrator who had served in several positions before becoming Bursar.
His killing comes against the backdrop of a worsening security environment in Zamfara and other parts of north-western Nigeria, where bandit attacks, kidnappings and highway insecurity have continued to threaten communities, farmers, travellers and public institutions.
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The tragedy is bigger than the death of one university official.
When professionals begin to face serious danger while travelling between major urban centres, insecurity ceases to be simply a policing problem. It becomes an economic, educational and governance problem.
Universities cannot function effectively when their administrators, lecturers and students fear movement. Businesses cannot operate normally when roads become unpredictable. Farmers cannot transport produce safely. Government officials cannot effectively supervise institutions if mobility itself becomes a security risk.
The killing of Marafa should therefore trigger more than condolences.
It should trigger questions about intelligence gathering, highway surveillance, rapid-response capacity and the ability of security agencies to identify and dismantle the networks operating across Zamfara and neighbouring states.
For the NOUN community, the immediate priority is mourning and justice. For the Nigerian state, however, the challenge is broader: How many more Nigerians must die before travelling across the country becomes ordinary again?
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