The peace of Lagos was disrupted Tuesday, when men and officers of the Nigerian Police kept shooting into the air, supposedly to disperse protesting students of the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, who trooped out to the streets over a fee hike in the institution.
Fear gripped many residents, especially commuters on the busy Egbeda-Ikeja-Oshodi roads, as they had no idea of the reason behind the shootings, as well as the blocking of the roads which lasted for hours.
The students, who had moved from the university’s main campus in Ojo, had set out to bring about what they described as a total paralysis of activities in Lagos State.
They were stationed at the popular Egbeda bus terminus, where both incoming and outgoing routes were blocked, leaving commercial motor transport operators and their passengers stranded.
The protesters moved from there to the Iyana-Ipaja-Oshodi roads where they reportedly confronted many pedestrians and motorists, allegedly forcing them to join the protests, a development that led to open confrontations and condemnation among from victims.
Meanwhile, a team of policemen who had trailed the students from the Egbeda route, were overpowered by some violent students, who insisted that until the people intervened on what they described as the insensitivity of the Governor Babatunde Fashola led administration in Lagos to the plight of commoners, and thereby force him to reverse the fee hike to their recommended rates of N46,500 and N63,500, per student, they would not stop their public protest.
In an interview with the Students’ Union President, Nurudeen Yusuff, he said the students were determined to make Lagos State ungovernable for Governor Fashola, “except and until he listens to our cries because we cannot continue to fold our arms when our only weapon of liberation, that is, education is being taken away from us, and their children continue to live fat on our commonwealth attending world class universities all over the globe.”
While they allegedly had a free day up until they approached the Nigerian Army Shopping Arena, along Oshodi Road, where a team of anti-riot police squad engaged them in what eyewitnesses described as an open display of firepower, the students, and indeed motorists, pedestrians, and traders in the popular Oshodi market, at that point scampered for safety.
The protesters, who were overpowered by the Police, with many of them arrested, ran in different directions. As at the time of filing this report, the details of those arrested could not be ascertained.
Many of the eyewitnesses, who spoke to The Nigerian Times on condition of anonymity, accused the students of being unruly in their attitude, saying they lacked civility and decorum.
It would be recalled that last week, students of polytechnics and colleges of education nationwide had embarked on similar protests with a plan to obstruct traffic movement on the busy Third Mainland Bridge but were barred by the Police officers, who shot in the air to disperse them, with many of them arrested and several others injured.
Post a Comment