Samson Folarin and Afeez Hanafi
The students of the Federal University
of Technology, Minna, Niger State, have gone on the rampage, setting
ablaze the school’s clinic on Bosso campus.
The students also reportedly vandalised
the school libraries, lecture rooms, a female hostel and a microfinance
bank on the campus during a protest against the death of a student,
identified as Olalekan Emmanuel, aka Yeye, who died in the clinic.
They blamed Emmanuel’s death on the
alleged negligence of workers in the clinic, claiming that the victim
was not attended to for about 30 minutes after he arrived at the
facility.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Emmanuel, a
300-level Science Education student, was on the campus pitch with his
colleagues around 2pm on Wednesday in preparation for a football match
when he slumped.
“A coach was addressing him and other
students preparatory to a friendly match when he slumped. On arrival at
the clinic, doctors who were supposed to attend to him were not on the
ground for more than 30 minutes, and no ambulance was provided to take
him to another hospital.
“He eventually died in the clinic. It
was a lecturer who took his corpse to a general hospital morgue,” an
engineering student, who gave his name only as Abdulrahman, told one of
our correspondents on Thursday.
Another student, Ibrahim, stated that
the riot started around 7pm, and it lasted for hours as the school’s
security men could not stop the protesters.
He said, “Protesting students set ablaze
the clinic and shattered glasses of the two libraries and some lecture
rooms on Bosso campus. They also vandalised a female hostel and the
Automated Teller Machine of a microfinance bank on the campus.
“As of 9pm, no policeman was on the
ground. The school’s security men removed their uniforms and fled to
safety. All students have been told to go home by 4pm today (Thursday),
as the school has been shut for two weeks. I am travelling home now
because the campus is not safe.”
The suspension of academic activities
was also contained in a statement signed by the school’s Acting Academic
Secretary, Dr Shakirudeen Yusuf, and quoted by the campus’ bulletin,
Campus Anchor Newsy.
“The management of the Federal
University of Technology, Minna, has approved a two-week mid-semester
break for all students of the institution with immediate effect.
“Consequently, all students are to
vacate the two campuses latest by 4pm, Thursday, February 16, 2017.
Academic activities (will) resume on Thursday, March 2, 2017,” the
statement read.
The university, in another statement on
its website, said it was pained by Emmanuel’s death and promised to
investigate the circumstances surrounding the death.
The statement read in part, “With deep
felt sympathy and sorrow, the management of the Federal University of
Technology, Minna, announces the death of Yeye Emmanuel Olalekan, a
300-level student of the Department of Chemistry Education, School of
Science and Technology Education.
“Yeye slumped while playing football on
Wednesday, February 15, 2017, and was rushed to the health centre, where
he was certified dead. Late Yeye, aged 23, hailed from the Ekiti Local
Government Area of Kwara State.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala James, said three students were arrested while stealing property.
He said, “We were called upon on
Wednesday that some students were protesting and we went to bring the
situation under control. We are investigating, together with the school
security, the actual cause of the crisis.
“But the report we got was that the
students were protesting against the death of a student who slumped on a
football field and died. The students said he was not attended to
quickly, while the management said he was confirmed dead on arrival.
“The students damaged some property on
the campus and burnt part of the school clinic. We have stationed our
vehicles on the premises to ensure sanity and safety.
“We did not make arrest during the
students’ unrest. We believe that the school management would identify
those behind it and bring them to book. Ours is just to bring the
situation under control. However, three students were arrested because
they were caught stealing.”
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