Some students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, on Monday staged a protest against the expulsion of four students and suspension of eight others by the university authority last week.
The protest which resulted to blocking of the university’s gate at the early hours of Monday was led by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
PREMIUM TIMES reported how some students were alleged to have attacked the school in June after the Students’ Union election.
This newspaper also reported the expulsion and suspension of the 12 students, including the son of the former Secretary to the State Government of Osun State, Moshood Adeoti, for their alleged involvement in violence on campus.
Speaking with our correspondent, Abiola Azeez, a student of the institution told PREMIUM TIMES that examinations, which were first disrupted by the protest later held amidst tight security.
“While fresh students and final year students went to their respective halls to sit for their exams, some members of NANS came with canes and planks to chase everyone out of the school, hurting some students in the process,” he said. “After the tension was doused by security operatives, the final year students were called back to continue writing their exams. To avoid further problem, security personnel took over to protect students writing exam”.
Meanwhile, the protest was condemned by the university students union president, Abiodun Oluwaseun, who tagged the NANS action “illogical”
“Today, comrades from NANS JCC and NAUS came to LAUTECH Campus to intervene with regards to the case of the LAUTECH 12. Their intervention in student crisis is always welcome because they are fellow comrades, but the method they employed today remains unacceptable.
“This is so because yesterday, the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof Adewale, Moronkola Teslim, the NANS JJC Chairman, Falola Hamed the Senate President, LSU executives and several other stakeholders deliberated for several hours on how to handle the issue of the LAUTECH 12,” he said in a statement.
He, however, said they agreed that examinations would proceed undisturbed and all necessary steps would be taken to ensure the peaceful reinstatement of the 12.
“Without notifying me or any other union executives, they went on to shut the school down for several hours. After the school was reopened, they mobilised themselves and moved from hall to hall beating innocent students out of the hall, even tearing the clothes off the back of some.
“The punishment of the LAUTECH 12 might be severe but holding 30,000 students to ransom is not the solution and such action will not stand in LAUTECH.”
All efforts to get in touch with the university’s Public Relations Officer, Lekan Fadeyi were unsuccessful as he refused to answer calls and an SMS sent to him on the matter.