Students living in fear after repeated campus break ins

The PNG University of Technology students residing at the Okari Open campus outside of the main campus area, within the Nawae block, settlers in Lae told NBC News, that they are currently living in fear and remain on high alert following three separate campus breach incidents by thugs.

The students said the most recent incident, the third attempt happening on Monday [April 27] this week, had a group of about 15 men attempting to break into the girls’ dormitory at night when it rained heavily.

The students said about 13 of them remained outside while two crawled in through a drainage system. However, the guards and several students spotted the two men and raised the alarm, creating enough noise to force the whole group to flee before they entered the girls’ dormitory.

According to the students, the second incident took place around 3 a.m., also in this current rainy Lae weather, where a group of about 20 men breached the campus fence near the staff housing area and moved undetected to the field near the Community Health Worker [CHW] classrooms.

The group then entered the boys’ dormitory this time through a fire exit leading to the second floor. The male students initially mistook the noise for fellow male students, but upon opening the door, the attackers allegedly forced their way inside.

An unconfirmed number of laptops and personal belongings were stolen. Two male students sustained knife wounds and had to be stitched up at the hospital, while four others sustained minor injuries in the attempt to defend themselves.

The students say the first attempt was about two months ago, where a handful of the intruders allegedly entered the premises but were disturbed by a pastor. They said that one of the suspects stabbed the pastor in the head before the group fled the scene.

The students further told NBC News that despite the presence of seven to eight security guards in the night, fear and anxiety remains high especially amongst the female students, with many staying awake for long periods and checking the doors at the slightest noise.

“We’ve become hyper sensitive to any noise as soon as it gets dark. This keeps us awake for most part of the nights since, and is now affecting us in class because we find ourselves drifting off,” a female student said.

“We feel that because they were chased away the third time recently, they will regroup and return in retaliation,” she added.

Confirming the incidents, the Lae Metropolitan Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Kunyanban stated that police response to the first two cases was delayed due to late reporting. He said the Sector Response Unit [SRU] was alerted a bit earlier in the recent incident on Monday and responded promptly to pursue the suspects.

“Investigations are ongoing and I would like to urge the students and the public to use the toll-free emergency numbers 112 or call 70903300 that are both operational, to report any incidents to fast track police response,” Kunyanban said.

In an official statement released by the PNG UoT this afternoon, the University stated that its Management is aware of the recent security concerns in relation to the attempted breach at the Okari Campus this week and is actively addressing these matters in close collaboration with the Okari Campus Management and relevant authorities.

The statement indicated that all students residing at the Okari Campus are accounted for and safe, further stating that the current on-campus accommodation is full to capacity, hence the University had to collaborate with service providers like the AOG Okari campus, and the Unitech Catholic and Adventist Colleges.