Nigerian Newspapers
‘The police came to kill us’
Thick smoke billowed in the air as some properties were torched at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) in Akwa Ibom State, following the death of a student during a protest last week. KAZEEM IBRAHYM, SAM IBOK and JOY RIMAN report.
It was a black day last Wednesday at the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) in Akwa Ibom State, following the death of a student during a protest. The demonstration started as a solidarity rally by students early in the morning. It continued into the afternoon. But, before evening, it degenerated into full-blown violence, following the student’s death on the arrival of riot policemen invited by the management to disperse the protesters.
The students were protesting what they called “bad policies” of the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Comfort Ekpo. They were protesting, among others, the introduction of N2,000 General Study (GST) course fee and the hike in transport fare from mini campus on Ikpa Road to the permanent site at Nsukara Offot in Nwaniba, Uyo. The university management jacked up the fare from N100 to N200.
The students went round the campus, calling the authorities’ attention to their plight. The protest turned violent when the riot policemen arrived. The police fired teargas canisters and shot sporadically to disperse the protesters. In the melee, a 200-Level Zoology student, Kingsley Umoette, died.
On learning about Kingsley’s death, his colleagues went wild, destroying school properties worth millions of naira. Private properties were not spared.
The students and the police have been trading word over what led to Kingsley’s death.
A member of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), who pleaded not to be named, said a security agent shot Kingsley. He said Kingsley’s “killing” drew the ire of the protesters who torched the offices of the VC Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (VC) (Academic) and Records.
A visit to the city campus showed that 12 vehicles, some of them owned by the university, were destroyed.
Other properties destroyed included equipment in the Exams and Records Unit, Finance and Accounts, Internal Audit and Cash Office. The Computer Maintenance Department was vandalised and hard discs and other facilities removed.
“We were only throwing pebbles, sachets of water and bottles but it was obvious that the police only came to the scene to kill us. They (the police) were shooting sporadically and firing tear gas at us. They fired teargas canisters into the female hostels. Many of our female students got injured. Their bullet killed Kingsley,” the anonymous SUG official said.
But the police said they could not explain what killed Kingsley because his body was brought from the campus to the road where they were stationed during the protest.
Police spokesman Etim Dickson said more than 45 protesters, including UNIUYO students and their colleagues from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) and Madonna University, were in custody for the riot.
“It has been established that one student died during the (last Wednesday) protest by University of Uyo students. A 200-Level Geology student died. We were able to get this from the students who brought the body from inside the campus to the road.
“You know we cannot enter the campus, we have to be outside. It was the protesting students who brought the body to us on the road and it was collected from them.
“The mother of the deceased has come to us. She made a statement. I want to say one 200-Level student died. The cause of the death we don’t know yet.
“Also, about 45 other students coming from different universities were arrested. Some of the students arrested during the protest came from BIDA POLY and we also have some from Madonna University.
“What killed the boy from inside the school we don’t know. They only dropped the body on the road because they said they wanted to carry the body to Government House and we told them not to do so; it is not their duty and we collected the body from them.”
On the students’ claim that a trigger-happy policeman shot their colleague, Etim said: “Let the students find out who shot the boy and at what point. They will claim but investigation will prove. Even there is a big charm tied to the left wrist of the body. I don’t know whether it is a modern wristwatch.”
A former Dean, Faculty of Arts, UNIUYO, Prof Des Wilson, blamed the management for allowing the protest to fester till the evening.
“I also believe that the management of the university did not do the right thing because I am told that the protest started in the morning before 8am. Why was it allowed to fester till late in the evening because I was told that the students started burning things around 5pm.
“What happened? What was going on between the students and the management? I suppose there were lapses along the line that made such destruction possible. I am unhappy about the loss of a student’s life,” he said.
A student from the Faculty of Science, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “We resumed for second semester only to hear that we will now be receiving lectures at the university’s permanent site. We were told that the management had brought in a private firm to handle transportation from the mini-campus to the permanent site but at the rate of N200. They also asked us to pay N2,000 for GST. Why such unholy increment?”
While conducting Governor Godswill Akpabio round the vandalised properties, Prof Ekpo said the school introduced the fare on the recommendation of a committee. The panel members discussed and agreed on the payment of new transport fare by the students, she said.
Prof Ekpo said the school decided to increase the transport fare from N100 to N200 from the mini-campus to the permanent site after students on the committee brought a transporter to the school authority for approval. She wondered why the students later went on protest.
Akpabio called for “full investigation” into the riot to bring the perpetrators to book. The governor described the riot as “criminal, targeted and pre-meditated.”
He observed that miscreants took advantage of the disagreement between the school and the students to wreak havoc, saying that it was a pre-planned arrangement by the miscreants who pretended to be students of the institution.
Akpabio said: “This act is a disaster. My observation here is that the destruction of the buildings was targeted at the 20-year-old school records and examination results. It was a pre-planned arrangement by miscreants, who are ‘professional students’ using the opportunity of the peaceful protest to raze buildings where the school’s academic records were kept.”
Speaking during the visit of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Chairman, Inter-ministerial Committee on Campus Safety, Prof Adebisi Balogun, decried destruction of properties by protesters. He said the protest that claimed a life was beyond increment in transport fare.
He said: “Since this university came to being in 1991, we have never experienced this type of destruction unleashed on the school. Therefore, a lot of things must have gone wrong. We don’t want to pre-empt any investigation but definitely we cannot say because of N100 that a whole campus is burnt down. No. There is more to it than meet the eye.”
He appealed to students to always employ the option of dialogue.
Monday Jimoh, 200-Level Agricultural Engineering, told CAMPUSLIFE: “The policemen, who were supposed to calm the situation, were the people shooting at students.”
“We were not armed but the police came with all sorts of ammunition to a peaceful protest embarked upon by the students,” Victor Albert, a final year Engineering student told our correspondents.
The university has since been shut.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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