The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared a mass protest over rising insecurity and armed robbery cases around students’ residences in tertiary institutions in Ogun State.
The student body made this known on Wednesday during a press conference addressed by the National Secretary-General, Comrade Oladimeji Uthman, at the NUJ Secretariat, Abeokuta.
He stated that the peaceful mass protest would be held after the expiration of the ultimatum if the five students of Gateway ICT Polytechnic, Saapade, who were abducted over a week ago at Ipara Remo, were still in captivity.
Comrade Oladimeji expressed concern over the spate of insecurity incidents around residential areas in student communities across the state in recent times, describing the situation as worrisome and saying students are living in fear and could not concentrate on their studies.
He said, ” The persistent and alarming wave of insecurity confronting students across tertiary institutions in Ogun State is disturbing.For far too long, students have continued to live in fear. The safety of lives and property on and around our campuses has been grossly threatened by armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, cult related violence and other criminal activities. Students can no longer move freely, attend5 lectures or return to their hostels without fear of attack.”
NANS posited that the recent kidnapping of five students of the Ogun-owned polytechnic has further confirmed the worsening security situation in student communities, which demands urgent attention.
It, however, regretted that despite moves by the national leadership of NANS to meet with heads of security agencies in the state to discuss practical and lasting solutions to the worsening insecurity affecting campuses and student communities, the situation has persisted.
The NANS leadership commended the Inspector General of Police, IG Tunji Disu, for deploying an operational police aircraft to support the ongoing security operations in the state, especially to rescue the students who have been in captivity for over a week.
It also appreciated the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dr Dapo Abiodun, for his urgent request and unwavering commitment to the safety of lives and property in the state, saying that the deployment of the aircraft would significantly enhance aerial surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response capabilities of security agencies.
The body also called on the Ogun State Government to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the gruesome killing of a student of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori-Ewekoro.
It said, ” The failure of government to meet these demands of security the abductees and arrest of those who killed the DS Adegbenro student within the stipulated 72Hours would leave the national students body (NANS) with no option but to commence sustained peaceful mass actions and statewide protests until justice is served and adequate security is guaranteed for every student in Ogun State.
“The planned protest is aimed at drawing the urgent attention of the Ogun State Government, Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Services (DSS), the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), traditional institutions, and all relevant stakeholders to the worsening security situation affecting students
across the state.”
NANS demanded that a powerful state government delegation should visit the family of the student who was murdered during the robbery attack and also the student who sustained gunshot injuries and is currently lying in a hospital bed at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta.
It also demanded the deployment of the Ogun State Anti-Violent Crime Team to all tertiary institutions and student communities across Ogun State to combat armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes threatening students’ lives.
Also, NANS called for increased security patrols and intelligence gathering around campuses and identified criminal hotspots, among other measures.