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FCET Akoka boils as police arrest SSUCOEN chairman, secretary, students

By Gabriel Dike

The crisis rocking the Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, yesterday, took a dangerous dimension as armed policemen stormed the 57-year-old institution and arrested staff and students union leaders.

Daily Sun gathered that the armed policemen invaded the college around 1pm and attempted to arrest the students’ union leaders, who raised the alarm about the presence of security personnel.

The students, since last week, have been protesting against the return of embattled Provost, Dr. Ademola Azeez, and have demanded to meet the new Governing Council.

The students locked the reopened door to the office of the Provost and took to the street, which resulted in traffic gridlock on Akoka Road.

The face-off between the students and policemen attracted staff union leaders and many workers, who queried the presence of the armed policemen.

Our correspondent gathered that early yesterday, the students locked up the FCET gates and prevented the Governing Council members and staff from entering the college.

A senior staff member said: “At about 2pm, the situation escalated and the armed policemen gained access into the college in an attempt to disperse the protesting students.

“The students raised an alarm and the staff union leaders approached the policemen to prevent them from arresting the students union leaders. Following the resistance, the police fired teargas and live bullets.

“A student was hit while many fainted after inhaling the teargas. A particular female student had to be resuscitated with inhaler while another one struggled to breath.”

According to her, the chairman and secretary of the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigerian (SSUCOEN) Augustine Nwachukwu, and O. Q. Kazeem; the newly elected chairman, Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), former Vice President of SSUCOEN and students union leaders were arrested and taken away by the armed policemen.

Following the arrest of the staff and student leaders, other students went on rampage and destroyed several officers’ cars.

Many staff and students took cover in their offices while the policemen confronted students pelting them with stones as they fired several canisters of teargas.

Several female students fainted after inhaling the teargas, while staff and their colleagues tried to resuscitate them.

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