The police, Tuesday night shot dead a student of the University of Abuja, igniting a riot by students immediately.

Yusuf, a 200 level student from Kogi State, was reported to have been shot by the police at a party organized by "Safe Blood for Africa Foundation" at the university's open air theatre.

Two other students were injured following violent clashs between the students and the police as a result of the killing.

The affected students are currently receiving treatment at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital.

Witnesses told Daily Trust that the crisis started when some students protested against the N500 gate fee set by the organizers of the party.

The disagreement reportedly generated tension and the organizers of the party decided to call in the police rather than the university's securitymen.

When the police arrived, according to witnesses, the students insisted on paying between N200 and N300.

In an attempt to control the situation, a witness said: "the police fired into the air. When the firing continued, it was then that Yusuf was shot and he died instantly. This was at about 10 p.m."

Enraged students started a protest and they were joined by many others as the news of the tragedy spread on the campus. Three cars were damaged at the venue of the party.

The witness said the students marched through the streets in the night and headed for the divisional police station.

They were however prevented from reaching the station by the police who used tear gas and eventually, they returned to the campus. By daybreak however, the students changed tactics and the situation changed dramatically.

The students in their multitude, barricaded routes to the town setting up bonfire in several locations.

Workers who set out to for work to the city were forced to return home, schools were shut and children hurriedly sent home as smoke warped across the town's morning sky.

The Kaduna-Lokoja road, a major North-South link was effectively blocked. Traffic stretched for miles on end.

Reinforcement of police from the city failed to get to the town, not only because of the barricade but also because of endless traffic gridlock.

The police were forced to make a detour; they returned via the airport road and came through Kuje, the prison town.

Before then, the protest had taken a turn for the worse. Unemployed youths in the town and hoodlums joined the fray.

Some cars were smashed and shops vandalized.

The Aguma of Gwagwalada, Alhaji Muhammadu Magaji and the area council chairman, Saidu Zuba, came out to appeal to the students not to engage in violence but to protest peacefully.

Their intervention saved the divisional police station.

However, as the police reinforcement arrived, the situation became charged. The students confronted them, throwing stones and bottles. The police responded with tear gas and live bullets.

Witness said it was at this point that two student were hit by live bullets and admitted at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital.

By about 11 a.m, riot policemen were able to restore control over the town as they pushed the students back to the campus.

Police did not get into the campus but effectively cordoned off the university.

The university authorities immediately closed down the institution indefinitely and asked students to leave.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Nuhu Yakub and the Minister of the FCT, Nasir el-Rufai, both addressed the students and urged them to be law abiding.

But the FCT police commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Alobi, told Daily Trust in a telephone interview in Abuja yesterday that he is yet to ascertain the genuine cause of the crisis.

He could not also confirm if there were casualties, saying he was yet to get a report on the crisis adding however that the situation is under control and that normalcy has been restored on the campus.

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