Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
A Police officer, Samuel Daniel, was today injured in the head following a protest by students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State over their inability to write their second semester examination.
The aggrieved students who carried placards with various inscriptions grounded the state capital as vehicular and human movement were disrupted.
The main gate of the Governor’s office along Oke-Mosan was manned by fierce-looking security operatives, while the students blocked the road and created a logjam which lasted for more than six hours.
Clad in black attires, the students demanded the immediate reopening of their institution for normal academic activities after three months of closure.
It will be recalled that the lecturers and the state government are at loggerheads over the relocation of the institution to Ipokia.
However, there was a mild drama as efforts by the Secretary to the State Government, Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa to address the aggrieved students was rebuffed.
“No, no, no, we want the governor to come and address us,” some of them yelled at the SSG.
One of the aggrieved students was alleged to have thrown a stone which hit a policeman on the head and injured him.
The environment became tense as the SSG later ordered the dispersal of the students.
A female student said to be asthmatic collapsed during the protest as Police dispersed the students with teargas.
The female student whose name could not be ascertained, was rushed to the State hospital, Idi-aba, Abeokuta.
Speaking on behalf of the students comprising the National Association of Nigerian students (NANS), National Association of Polytechnic students(NAPS) and the National Association of the Ogun state students (NAOSS), the Director of Media and Publicity of NANS, Comrade Olasunkanmi Akinlotan said the students would not relent until the government heed their call.
He said, “We would not stop this protest until the government heeds our call.
“How can a governor ignore the students at a time like this? We have received threats that they want to attack us. We want to warn them that they shouldn’t try it because we are ready to give it all it takes.”
“By tomorrow this protest will continue by the grace of God.”
Later in a statement, Adeoluwa expressed disappointment “over the uncivil conduct of the students who had rebuffed every attempt by the delegation to address them.”
He assured the students and their parents “that though government frowned at the confrontational way the students had deployed in driving home their points yet it would continue to interface with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that all issues surrounding the purported delay in the conduct of their examinations were addressed.”