Students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, Ogun state, staged a protest on Sunday over what they described as brutality against their colleagues by officers of the Oru-Ijebu police command.
In a statement on Saturday, Oluseyi Babaseyi, spokesperson
for the Ogun police command, said some students stormed the Oru-Ijebu police
station on Saturday, claiming some of their colleagues were detained.
Babaseyi said despite the DPO in charge of the division
confirming that no student was in his custody, the students attacked the police
station, forcing officers to disperse them with “minimal force” to prevent an
escalation.
“The students became agitated, breached the station gate,
threw stones and bottles, threatening police personnel and property,” he said.
“Reinforcements were called and teargas was used to disperse
the crowd. Normalcy has since been restored.”
Dissatisfied with the police statement, the OOU student
union, on Sunday called for a massive showdown at the police station.
In a statement issued at 1:30am on Sunday and signed by
Kehinde Bamgbose, president; Olajire Emmanuel, general secretary; and Salau
Olamide, public relations officer, the OOU student union condemned the
“disturbing and inhumane actions” by officers at the Oru Ijebu police station,
alleging that students were subjected to assault, unlawful arrest and gunfire.
According to the union, the incident began after reports
emerged that some students had been arrested under unclear circumstances.
The student union said its legal director, who visited the
station to verify the situation, was assaulted, kicked, choked and manhandled
by police officers, while a student accompanying him was slapped.
“Even more disturbing, a student who accompanied him was
slapped by officers during the encounter. These acts represent a gross
violation of human dignity, professional ethics, and the rule of law,” the
statement reads.
“Upon receiving this disturbing update, the OOUSUG
President, accompanied by other student leaders, arrived at the station to
peacefully intervene and de-escalate the situation.
“Rather than engage constructively, the police officers
resorted to reckless violence. Without justification, they opened fire on
unarmed students.
“In the course of this unwarranted aggression, a student was
shot on the hand. Several students were brutalized and assaulted.
“Multiple students were unlawfully arrested. Panic and chaos
were deliberately instigated through continuous gunfire. Innocent bystanders
and students were subjected to fear, intimidation, and physical harm.”
The students’ body also criticised the university’s chief
security officer, accusing him of failing to protect students and allegedly
taking sides with the police despite what it described as clear evidence of
excessive force.
Describing the incident as an abuse of power and a direct
attack on students, the union vowed not to tolerate harassment, assault or
dehumanisation of its members, and called on students to mobilise and gather at
the police station in a peaceful but firm show of solidarity.
The union demanded an immediate and thorough investigation
into the incident, identification and prosecution of officers involved, medical
treatment and compensation for injured students, unconditional release of
detained students, a public apology from the police, and disciplinary action
against the university’s CSO.
‘THEY HAVE RIGHTS TO PROTEST’
Following the directive, several students gathered at the
station on Sunday to press home their demands.
In a series of posts on X, a student leader identified as
Senator Jaiye shared videos of the protest, showing the traditional ruler of
the community and the university’s vice-chancellor addressing the protesters.
Speaking to TheCable, Babaseyi maintained that the use of
“minimal force” was necessary to prevent a breakdown of law and order and to
safeguard officers and facilities at the station.
“As you can see, there’s even a video confirming how they
breached the station gates without authorisation. The security architecture
needs to be protected at all costs,” he said.
“We have ammunition and a lot of security apparatus within
the station. We can’t compromise that. And that was night time.
“You don’t know who is who, people can hijack the protest
and turn it into a violent situation. So minimum force was used to disperse
them. As you can see in the video, it was teargas and nothing more than that.”
He confirmed that the protest had begun and that the
commissioner of police had deployed the area commander.
Babaseyi said the police is engaging community stakeholders,
including traditional leaders and university authorities, to address the
situation.
“They have the right to protest. That one is certain. And
since they are doing it lawfully, the area commander is on ground on the orders
of the commissioner of police,” he said.
“They are engaging even the Kabiyesi around there and the
school authority, the VC, are presently with them, engaging with the students.”
The police spokesperson, however, cautioned that protests
must remain peaceful.
“They just have to be peaceful in protesting so that
protests will not be hijacked and used for the wrong purposes,” he added,
noting that officers were on ground to listen to students’ grievances and
improve policing in the area.
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