■ Students resist closure, blame VC for crisis

BY GABRIEL DIKE

THE University of Lagos (UNILAG) was figuratively turned to a war zone on Fri­day as the protesting students engaged policemen and the management in over five-hour battle over the control of the campus.

The five-hour battle, which started as early as 6.00am saw the students dis­lodging the policemen led by the Area Commander of Area D, O.C. Bakare (ACP) and took firm control of the two main gates and prevented both human and vehicular movements.

The protest on Friday came against the backdrop of the university Senate deci­sion at an emergency meet­ing on Wednesday to shut indefinitely the 54-year-old institution after three days of protest by the students be­cause of scarcity of water and erratic electricity.

Following the continuation of the protest, academic, ad­ministration and commercial activities were paralysed on campus as offices, banks and business ventures remained closed, while campus shuttle buses were grounded.

The decision to shut the university indefinitely by the Senate without addressing the students demands wors­ened the situation as they re­sisted the closure and refused to vacate the hostels.

The university manage­ment in a statement said the Senate acknowledged the sit­uation on campus occasioned by the on-going agitation by the students over poor elec­tricity and water supply, as well as, the difficulties faced by many students staying off campus to attend classes as result of the fuel crisis.

It observed that the prob­lem of poor municipal ser­vices is a national issue that the governments both at federal and state level are ad­dressing.

According to the state­ment, to avert further break­down of law and order on campus, the Senate resolved that academic activities on campus be suspended with immediate effect, the uni­versity is shut, students are to vacate the various halls of residence and none should remain in the hostels after 10.00am on Friday, April 8.

Others are that a deci­sion to re-open for normal academic activities would be taken as soon as municipal services improve and assured the university community to go about their normal ac­tivities as adequate security measures have been put in place.

The President, Univer­sity of Lagos Students Union (ULSU), Muhammed Olani­yan, who was leading the protest with other excos was arrested early Friday morn­ing by the police. This gener­ated tension on campus.

In order to avoid the esca­lation of the crisis, the stu­dents union president was released, but his phones and other personal belongings including the union bus were seized.

While some angry students besieged the two main gates and monitored the Senate and Students Affairs building searching for the Vice Chan­cellor, Prof Rahaman Bello, others mobilised to chase out policemen who entered the campus.

Some of the students who wore masks or cover their faces chased the police van carrying the area command­er, armoured tank and other vehicles, telling the security personnel to go fight Boko Haram terrorists in the North.

At the Akoka end of the gate, the students called their VC unprintable names and blamed him for the protest because he failed to address the students on the first day of the protest. They urged their colleagues with bags ready to leave not to abandon the struggle.

At the various hostels, many students were spotted in their rooms while oth­ers with bags but stranded stayed in front of the halls. Some parents who came ear­ly to pick their wards were equally trapped in the protest as they could not drive out of the campus.