The Lagos State Police Command on Monday said it had arrested 32 suspects for allegedly attacking a Federal Government team that came on an inspection to the Federal College of Education (Technical) in the Akoka area of the state.
The crisis on the campus deepened as some students who had been protesting poor welfare on the campus for about a week were seen in videos fleeing from teargas reportedly fired by police officers on Monday.
A student who craved anonymity for fear of victimisation sent a voice note to our correspondent, saying they were having a meeting in the school when police officers “came and started shooting students.”
The student alleged that the school management invited the police to the campus. “During the meeting, they started throwing tear gas. The provost ordered them to throw tear gas and they arrested some staff (members). They were beating the staff (members),” he alleged.
Another 17-second video watched by our correspondent also showed some policemen firing shots in the air on the campus.
The Provost of the college, Dr Wahab Azeez, had, last week, claimed in an interview with our correspondent that the protesting students were being instigated by staff members eyeing his position, a claim denied by the students and some staff members of the college.
The students insisted that they were not happy with the state of the facilities in the college and expressed displeasure over the provost’s comments.
“Those students who are protesting are being instigated by those staff members eyeing my position. For the past five years since I was appointed as the Provost, I’ve never had an issue with students because I was a former Student Union leader and I know what the students want,” Wahab said in an interview with PUNCH Metro last Monday.
Pictures of parts of the hostel obtained by our reporters last week showed rotten wood structures, dilapidating concrete, rusted tanks and overgrown grasses.
The Speaker of the Students’ Union Government, Enoch Oyefara, said the students were not questioning the Provost’s tenure, but, how they were being treated.
When contacted on Monday, the Provost denied the shooting on the campus and said the students threw stones at him.
“There was no shooting anywhere. The students came to the Provost’s lodge, they vandalised the lodge and they were even throwing stones at me, then the police came when the DSS informed them that the Provost’s lodge was being attacked,” he told one of our correspondents.
They (the police) used canisters at the staff quarters not even the college. Please, your people should go and investigate what happened. So, there was no shooting anywhere, I can tell you that.
“Please, confirm from the Police Area Commander who led the team and if anybody was shot, let them also tell you who was that person and which hospital he’s in.”
He said the students allegedly held the council members hostage for three hours moving them from one place to another before the police came to rescue them.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not immediately respond to inquiries from PUNCH Metro.
But in a post on X.com shortly after on Monday evening, Hundeyin confirmed that 32 suspects were arrested in connection to the incident at the college.
According to him, for over three months, the staff members of the college locked out the Provost, depriving him of the use of his office.
Hundeyin said, “A team set up by the Minister of Education arrived at the school today (Monday) to mediate the ongoing impasse. However, (the) staff (members) of the college aided by students attacked the team from Abuja, damaging over five vehicles and the Provost’s official quarters.
“Not done, the rioting staff and students also blocked all entrances in and out of the college. The police arrived at the scene and restored normalcy after being attacked with stones and sachets of water by the rioters.
“Meanwhile, 32 suspects have been arrested while men of the Nigeria Police Force from Area Command, Surulere remain on (the) ground to ensure that the restored peace remains intact.”
The Secretary General of the Students’ Union, Favour Randle, while speaking with PUNCH Metro, blamed the police for shooting tear gas canisters into a female hostel.
“I don’t even know how everything became a riot,” she said, adding that the protest on Monday started peacefully around 10 am.
“They (the police) first fired gunshots. I heard gunshots from my hostel. It was followed by a tear gas inside the female hostel. Why would they fire teargas in a female hostel,” she queried, noting this was what triggered the crisis. She urged students to remain calm and go home so that peace could be restored.
