Donald Onukaoguu, the Senate President
of the National Association of Nigerian
Students (NANS) and four other students
have been killed in a road crash.
The students met their end yesterday on
their way to the University of Uyo, Akwa-
Ibom State, to intervene in the current
crisis rocking that institution.
The lone survivor for the accident, who is
currently receiving treatment at the
Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, claimed
that an illegal road block mounted by the
police was responsible for the tragedy.
It would be recalled that yesterday, the
police killed several students during a
protest organized by students of
Engineering at the university. That
prompted the decision of the NANS
leaders to embark on the urgent trip to
Akwa-Ibom.
The Engineering students were protesting
against new transport fees and other anti-
student policies, including the
contentious “No pay, No examination”
policy.
Confirming the death of his colleagues
this morning, the President of NANS, Yinka
Gbadebo, blamed the tragedy on the
police. “The police under the current IGP
killed nine students within one week; the
police action is barbaric and we call for
the immediate resignation of the IGP,
Mohammed Dikko Abubakar."
However, it is yet unclear how the
incident happened. The survivor of the
crash claimed that the police mounted an
illegal road block by putting heavy logs
and stones on the road and that the
unsuspecting students, who were
travelling in a NANS bus rammed into the
illegal barrier. According to him, the
police ran away immediately the accident
occurred.
Another source, has, however
controverted that account, claiming that a
trailer crushed the students’ vehicle.
The Nigerian police have a poor
reputation of extra-judicial killings. "We
are closing down all campuses in Nigeria
and national action will commence
immediately," Mr. Gbadebo threatened.
In a similar occurrence last February, nine
students of the Nasarawa State University
in Keffi, died in a road accident at
Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area as
they fled from soldiers who attacked them
during a campus protest.
The soldiers ao killed several students on
the scene protest .
In July last year, three students’ union
leaders were killed on the Owo–Akure
Road. They were the Student Union
Presidents of the Federal University of
Technology, Akure, Comrade Awopegba
Oluwaseun, Comrade Akintola Abiodun of
the Adeyemi College of Education, and
Comrade Oyikan Olotu of the Ondo State School of Midwifery, Akure.