Latest educational news reaching us today, is that there was commotion on Thursday morning at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos State, as academic programmes were grounded, while movements were restricted.
We were also informed that the development was as a result of a protest by the students of the academic institution, who were expressing their displeasure at an attack on a student by suspected cult members on Wednesday night.
According to an anonymous tip, some policemen, who attempted entering the campus to quell the unrest, were turned back at the gate by the students, who held everyone within the campus hostage for hours with huge guns.
When our correspondent visited the campus, he could not help but noticed that two fully loaded staff buses were prevented from entering the Yabatech Academic institution.
We also learnt that a clash between the cultist and some students the previous night had kept everybody in the campus awake.
According to a source in the Department of Mass Communication who explained that the clash started after an unnamed student was attacked by some cult members with machetes and was wounded.
Our correspondent learnt that the student had a misunderstanding with a suspected cult member.
There was also another source who pleaded anonymity, who informed us that the student had ignored the cult member when that one told him to do something for him.
He was later beaten, clubbed and cut with matchetes.
However, the problem started when somebody alerted the victim’s friends and they also came out and faced the cult members.
It was said that in the Wednesday rampage, security men on the campus were assaulted, while some costly school facilities were damaged.
On Thursday, the students took over the gates of the school and chased away security men to protest the Wednesday night attack in the campus.
One of the students at the gate told our informant that the security men guarding the campus had failed in their duties to protect the students.
The student also said this;
“Two weeks ago, they (the cultists) stormed the Art Block and wreaked havoc while our security men were merely watching.
So the students decided to take over the security of the school.”
It was observed that a few of the security men had changed into mufti, while some of the students who tried to record the riot with their camera phones were assaulted.
The school’s major road was also barricaded. The students said they were awaiting the Rector to give an address on the way forward.
Later, the Dean of Students Affairs, Mr. Omobayo Raheem, addressed the warring youths, urging them to calm down and let the school handled the situation.
He address the student, saying that like many of the students, he have not been able to sleep as a result of this development.
He went on to apologize to every one of the student as a result of the injury one of them sustained.
There is no doubt that injury to one of the student, is injury to all the students of the academic institution.
He also went further to assure the students, saying that the management has set up a high-powered panel to look into this and none of the culprits will go unpunished be they students or lecturers.”
He said the wounded student was being treated at the school’s medical centre.
Meanwhile, the academic institution reactor, Dr. Kudirat Ladipo, later came out to address the protesters.
She capped her address with a prayer for peace on the campus.
Now, over to you, what do you think about this situation?
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