“Mosques Rise, Chapel Denied: Protest Erupts Over Explosive Faith Divide at Gombe University”
...........Faith Tensions Boil Over: Kashere Students Storm Campus in Protest Over 14-Year Delay of Christian Worship Centre
By Passman Akpos
Tension erupted on Monday at the Federal University of Kashere (FUK), Gombe State, as Christian students staged a heated protest over what they describe as 14 years of religious marginalisation and systemic inequality on campus.
Chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards, the students demanded immediate action from the university management after years of worshipping in makeshift, borrowed, or abruptly disrupted spaces—despite repeated promises of a permanent chapel.
Although the university maintains that land has long been allocated for the project, students and Christian leaders insist that the absence of a functional worship centre—while several mosques operate freely across the university premises—illustrates a deeper institutional imbalance.
“This is not just about a building. This is about dignity, fairness, and the right to worship without being displaced,” one protesting student said.
Community and religious leaders echoed the concerns, accusing the institution of “prolonged neglect” and failing to uphold the spirit of inclusiveness expected of a federal university.
The protest has intensified calls for urgent intervention from the school authorities, the Gombe State government, and the Federal Ministry of Education to address what many now see as a widening faith divide on campus.
As the standoff continues, all eyes are on the management of FUK to determine whether the long-delayed chapel project will finally move from promise to reality.
