Tuition fees: Ogun varsity students on rampage in Abeokuta

Commercial activities as well as vehicular movements in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, were paralysed in the early hours of yesterday as students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago – Iwoye continued their protest against increase in tuition fees.

The students, who passed the night at the open field of Rev. Kuti Memorial Secondary school in Kuto, Abeokuta, also barricaded all major streets in the metropolis and vandalised shops as well as public and private cars on sight in continuation of their protest.

Aside from vandalising shops and vehicles, the protesters also barricaded the exit point of the Sagamu-Siun-Abeokuta expressway at the M.K.O International Stadium with a mass transit luxurious bus belonging to the state government hijacked by the students and used it to barricade the road to prevent vehicular movement.

The students who also forced the Op Mesa security vehicle filled with soldiers to leave the scene, called on the security operatives to go and look for the kidnapped Chibok girls rather than preventing their protest from taking place.

The situation resulted in serious traffic gridlock at the highway along the Presidential Boulevard, the route leading to Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s office at Oke – Mosan secretariat complex.

The development also forced the state police command to order its men into the streets with the aim of clearing the road and possibly make arrests.

The command also deployed Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Toyota Hilux vehicles and other equipment to the streets in addition to the hundreds of the anti-riot police personnel to clear the road and restore normalcy. After many hours of protest, Governor Ibikunle Amosun summoned the students to the M.K.O. Abiola International Stadium where he addressed them.

The governor expressed displeasure over the manner by which the students ventilate theirn grievances, but charged them to be more civilised in their demand for anything from government.

According to the governor, “I will not address unruly students. If you have bad-eggs among you, such a person must be sent away. We are of Ogun State and we cannot be unruly and I will not address the unruly students. That was why I said I would not address any student that is on the road”.

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