Angry varsity students set four vehicles ablaze, vandalize church, others

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NIGERIA: ANGRY students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) on Thursday burnt four vehicles and vandalized several other private and commercial vehicles while protesting against alleged insecurity and incessant robbery attack on their hostels.

The students in their hundreds, who said they could no longer tolerate the situation, also vandalized a church, Divine Heights Bible Church, Kotopo alleged to be the place of the worship of their Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole.

The disturbance came barely 24 hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) quizzed Oyewole and the university Bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, over alleged corruption and abuse of office.

For several hours, vehicular movements along Abeokuta-Ibadan Road and to the university’s Alabata Campus were halted while shops along the routes were hurriedly locked up.

Eyewitness told GatewayMail that the peeved students‎ had as early as 6am blocked the main entrance to their university, thereby causing heavy gridlock as staff and visitors were prevented from going into the campus.

The students’ anger was ignited by Wednesday’s robbery attack on a private hostel in the university area, Adejoke Hostel, Isolu, which they claimed had become incessantly unbearable on the students living off campus.

In order to force the university management to yield to their demand for police protection, the students allegedly decided to disrupt academic and administrative activities in the institution.

According to eyewitness, the situation became more riotous when the protesters saw police team and launched

attack on them notwithstanding the pleas by the Divisional Police Officers for Obantoko and Odeda, Mrs. Veronica Osakwe and Mr. Ojogo Olorunlana, respectively and the Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, urging them to vacate the highway.

‎At a point, the angry students began hurling stones at the policemen and some officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who had also arrived the scene.

Eyewitness further told GatewayMail that while the commotion continued, a student, identified as Taiwo Abisoye, a 100 level student of Forestry and Wildlife, was hit by a canister allegedly fired by a policeman.

As the situation began to get worse, the police command deployed men of the Mobile Police Force and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), who thereafter brought the situation under control.

When GatewayMail visited the scene, men of the state Fire Service were seen putting off the fire on the cars set ablaze.

Apparently to douse the tension, the university management immediately declared a seven-day mid-semester break for the Second Semester of the 2015/2016 Academic‎ Session with effect from Thursday.

The Head, Directorate of Public Relations, Mrs. Emi Alawode, said in a statement made available to GatewayMail that the break was to enable the university put additional welfare and security arrangements in‎ place.

The measure, Alawode added, is to further support the initiatives of the federal and state governments, towards the protection of lives and properties of its‎ citizens, particularly, members of staff and students of the‎ university.

She said: “As part of the efforts towards ensuring a safe haven for members of the University community, amidst the security challenges presently facing some parts of our country, Nigeria, FUNAAB has partnered with the Ogun State Commissioner of Police and the Director, State Security‎ Service (SSS), to uphold safety of lives and property of staff and students living within the school environs, following Armed Robbery‎ reports received by students residing in Isolu, a community situated‎ close to the University, which is highly populated by staff and‎ students of FUNAAB.”
“To this end, the University’s Security Team, in collaboration with the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) from Odeda and Obantoko areas, both in Abeokuta, Ogun State, often take turns, on a daily basis, to patrol‎ the University environs at night. The University Management has also encouraged the various communities to embrace community policing and‎ vigilante services, to support the efforts of the Police and the SSS,” Alawode further said.
She added: “It is also important to note that students are properly scrutinised‎ during the University’s screening exercise after the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, to pro-actively ensure that candidates with questionable characters are not admitted into the‎ University.

“Students have also been cautioned to live a low profile life, avoid attracting unnecessary attention to themselves, be alert, be vigilant about happenings in their surroundings and be free to contact the University’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), in case they‎ noticed any strange movement or occurrence around their vicinities.”
“Towards ensuring that all students reside within the University‎ campus, provision of accommodation is also on the front-burner of the University,” the university image maker also explained.

She further said: “Aside the existing campus hostels which the University had been able to build within its limited resources. FUNAAB has also‎ been able to get well-meaning Nigerians; the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), through its Special Intervention Fund; private‎ organisations; and generous individuals to build additional hostels within the University, which are currently at various stages of‎ completion.
“Additionally, the University Management has directed that all lectures‎ do not exceed 6pm daily, to allow students get to their homes before‎ dark, while the University transportation services is always available‎ to convey students, who reside outside the campus, close to their destinations.”
On the EFCC invitation, Alawode, who confirmed the development, stressed that the Vice-Chancellor and the Bursar had honoured the invitation, as‎ responsible and law abiding citizens.