FOUYE Protest: 2 student dies, several injured
-SUG denies attack on Gov Fayemi’s wife
| Two students have died following a clash between students of Federal University, Oye -Ekiti (FUOYE) and security operatives in Ekiti state after a peaceful protest turned violent. Also the Student Union Government (SUG) of FUOYE denied allegations accusing FUOYE students of attacking the wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. Erelu Fayemi, who was said to have narrowly escaped death, was allegedly attacked by protesting students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (Fuoye) while returning from a tour to some local governments in the state. The report on the some online blogs alleged the students destroyed properties and wounded several people on the entourage of the Governor’s wife. However reactions trailing the reports was that of “media gone wrong” on the part of the students.The students claim that the story reported by the media was not a reflection of the altercation between the Governor’s wife Erelu Bisi Fayemi and them (students). They claim that the governor’s wife was not attacked, and alleged the earlier report was “fake news”. The students claim that the school community had suffered a blackout for several months which caused undue hardship on them on and off campus mainly along the Oye/ Ikole Ekiti campuses. According to some student sources from FUOYE, some of their colleagues had been raped and some robbed at night, on their way from or to class to study, due to the black out. The students claim that their grievances had been brought to the notice of the institution’s vice chancellor without yielding much. Rather they alleged that the school authority had advised the student against going to class at night to study while the blackout remained. The SUG of FUOYE alleged it was in this light that it led a peaceful protest to the Office of the Benin Distribution Company to register their displeasure over the black out. According to one of the students present at the protest, he claimed that the SUG mobilized students to join the protest as early as 6:39 am where they locked down the BEDC office and created road blocks to alert residence and community people of their plight. A student under anonymity spoke to PNEB, he said prior to the Governor’s wife’s convoy coming to the scene several vehicles had passed through with the students relaying their plight to gain sympathy. Based on an official report from the SUG which alleged that the SUG president of FUOYE met with the Governor’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) hopeful to gain the sympathy of Erelu Bisi Fayemi, towards their plight only to be slapped by one of the security men. The CSO tried to intervene but it did not stop the police from shooting which led to a clash between FUOYE students and the Ekiti state governor’s wife’s security detail. According to our student source the altercation led to loss of property and lives as two students have been reported dead. It was also alleged that a policeman had died, while the BEDC office in Ikole Ekiti was razed down by aggrieved students. The ugly incident prompted a close down of FOUYE by the school (FUOYE) management as at 10am, Wednesday morning asking all students to vacate the school premises. The students who lost their lives were Joseph Okonofua aka Joseph Icon, a 300 level Biology Education student and Dada Kehinde Abiodun an 100Level student of Crop Science and Horticulture. Both students were quite prominent among their peers, as the former, up until the time of his death was a popular comedian in Fuoye whilst Kehinde Abiodun was the governor of his class. Below is a copy of the press statement from the SUG of FUOYE “The President was standing with the Army Officer, the Chief Security Officer to the Governor and some police personnel when a CTU security Officer came from an unknown destination and slapped the President right in front of CSO to the Governor, the Army Official and other policemen. Immediately the Security officials made it known to the CTU Security personnel that he is the union President he slapped, and they started appealing and pleading to the Student Union President. Students at the scene were enraged but the President together with the CSO to the Governor and Army Official calmed the situation. Shortly after, the Union President left the vicinity after he told the Army Officer that he would love to take his leave to rest as he was having series of muscle pulls which was as a result of the stress and morning trek._”He further informed the CSO to the governor and took his leave. What followed after he left the scene were series of gun sounds. However, the CSO to the governor was spotted holding the officer who shot to cease the shooting, but he could not control it as other police officials started shooting guns at students and indigenes. Hence, the police officers started a combat/riot with the students. Information reaching us confirmed that three students were severely injured by the policemen while one has been confirmed dead as a result of the live bullet used. The injured students are currently undergoing medical treatments in different hospitals. It has also gotten to our notice that the police officers continued their gun shots at students and kept destroying students properties without any consideration._ _On this sad note, the Student’s Union Leaders hereby appeal to the generality of our comrades and students in struggle to kindly stay indoor till normalcy is restored in the community.__As it is an injustice to one is an injustice to all, we further appeal to our Government to quickly take adequate measure against the police officers that used shot at students for holding a peaceful demonstration which unexpectedly led to the sudden death of our beloved brother.__Present at the Peaceful demonstration today were the *S. A TO THE GOVERNOR EKITI ON POLITICAL MATTERS, NANS NATIONAL VICE CHAIRMAN, THE NAUS SOUTH WEST VICE PRESIDENT, NANS JCC EKITI EX CHAIRMAN, THE PRESS MEDIA, THE EX NLC CHAIRMAN and other personnel. |
