http://www.titopeblog.com/2017/10/the-multimillion-naira-damagecarnage-at.html

The most painful goodbye are the ones that are never said and never explained. This was the case of Vincent Taiwo Oluwafemi, who was until his death, the Marshal Commander of the Polytechnic Road Safety Corps and an HND II Student of the Estate Management Department at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado – Ekiti.



He died on Saturday, 7th October, 2017 due probably to careless negligence by close relatives who had him forcibly discharged against medical advice given by experts at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.


Contrary to reports which went viral on the social media and a section of the press that two students died from malaria attack, the truth of the matter was that nothing of such happened one student of the Institution was reported dead. This was attributed as the cause of the violent demonstration by students, in the process of which various acts of criminal arson and willful destruction of public property were committed which preliminary report put at about half a billion Naira.

However, the truth of the matter was that a student of the Institution was reported dead after he had been forcibly discharged against medical advice at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado – Ekiti where he was referred to a day before the incident. The deceased student had reported ill at the NHIS-accredited Polytechnic’s Health Centre on Friday 6th October, 2017 and got stabilized after which he was referred to EKSUTH for further treatment.


Report from the Teaching Hospital indicated that on the morning of Saturday 7th October, 2017, the patient was forcibly discharged against medical advice without the knowledge of the Polytechnic’s Medical Team about the patient’s whereabouts until report of the guy’s death was broken on campus thus heralding the violent protest.


Thereafter the students went wild with all sorts of lies and burnt down the well-equipped NHIS Accredited Health Centre of the Institution’s, the Security Gate House, Signpost, the Institution’s Bakery as well as the Entrepreneurship and Demonstration Farms, including Poultry, Fishponds etc belonging to the Entrepreneurship Centre and the Departments of Agricultural Technology and Agricultural and Bio-Environmental Engineering and so on.


A staff of the Polytechnic, Mr. Olaiya Adeniyi, who witnessed the drama leading to the patient’s being discharged against Medical advice at EKSUTH where he had taken his ailing father made the following lamentation on a whatsApp platform.

“If truly the student that died was the one that was forcibly discharged from EKSUTH, then there was no reason whatsoever for such reaction from our students. The said student was in the same ward with my father; we actually met him in the ward with a lady (a student I guess) and two male students. I didn't recognise them but the two male students recognised me, came to greet me and introduced themselves.

The boy (victim), was visibly in pains and the lady who was with him was so bitter, angry and upset with the doctors and nurses on call because, according to her 'the medical personnel did not attend to the patient well enough'. The lady was complaining bitterly and so confrontational with both doctors and nurses that security officers were asked to take her out of the ward. An older man, who I guess would be the brother of the deceased and the agitated lady asked for and both signed the undertaking that they were removing the victim contrary to medical advice of doctors.


However, it is noteworthy that one particular doctor was repeatedly warning the lady, the older man and the two male students that discharging the patient was a suicide mission but they refused to yield to his warnings. I equally appealed to the lady who was more vocal and determined to get the patient discharged to allow the boy continued with his treatment as he was on drip, being treated and observed according to the doctor. Unfortunately, they signed the document and took him away. The scene was so painful as he was losing blood coming out of his hand from where the drip was prematurely removed.


I learnt yesterday that students were on rampage occasioned by the death of student(s) and I was even sent the picture of the burnt health centre but didn't know the identity of the victim. It was this morning when the doctors and nurses were discussing the issue that they told us it was the student that was discharged against medical advice that died and led to the trouble in our school.

I however, want to state again that, IF truly the case of this particular student as witnessed by me was the reason behind this reaction of our students, then they were misinformed, misled and it is quite unfortunate!



The ultimate truth is that we are ALL going to die one way or the other, one day, suddenly, prematurely, at old age or whatever. But our actions or inactions will certainly be contributory factors (the percentage or ratio I can't express any precise opinion on) in determining how many days get credited to our sojourn on earth.


Unfortunately, such actions or inactions were taken away from the deceased by his friends and brother”. It was learnt that the deceased student was the Marshal Commander of the Road Safety Corps in the Polytechnic before his death but it was not clear at the time of this report where exactly he gave up the ghost since the Polytechnic is oblivious of his whereabouts after being forcibly taken away from the EKSUTH.


In response to the carnage perpetrated by the students as well as the serious threat to lives and property, the Polytechnic Management promptly shut down the Institution asking all students to vacate the Campus latest by 10:00pm on Saturday, 7th October, 2017.


The Management went further to hold an emergency combined Academic Board and Management Committee Meeting at 12:00noon on Sunday 8th October 2017 for situation review.

At the meeting the Director of Medical Services Dr. Olusiji Makinde confirmed that the Health Centre which has been in existence for over 35 years was not just well stocked with necessary equipment, facilities and personnel but also earned the NHIS Accreditation as a recognised NHIS Health Facility Provider. He added that contrary to negative reports that two students died at the Health Centre, there has never been any record suggesting death of any student in the Institution’s Health Centre for all the years the Polytechnic had existed.



He noted that the deceased neither died at the Health Centre of the Polytechnic nor at EKSUTH but in the hands of those who claimed to love him and regretted painfully that perhaps he might not have died if he was not forcibly discharged against medical advice from EKSUTH where he had been referred a day earlier.


The Chief Security Officer of the Polytechnic Major Amos Faniyan, Director of the Polytechnic Entrepreneurship Centre Engr. A.A. Jimoh and Heads of affected Academic Department whose facilities such as Bakery, Fishery, Poultry, Demonstration Farms etc which were vandalized, looted and damaged all addressed the Academic Board Meeting with details of the plundered and looted items.


Decisions taken at the meeting include resolution to:

Suspend the Student’s Union with immediate effect
Set up a fact-finding panel to unravel the remote and immediate cause(s) of the crisis

Other terms of reference were:

To investigate the immediate and remote causes of the disturbance;
To identify and establish the level of involvement of the dramatis personae, which include perpetrators, collaborators and instigators
To identify the affected areas, structures and establish the extent of the damage done;
To bring up the current cost implications of the damaged building, materials and equipment;
To make recommendations on how to forestall such future occurrence and bring up preventive measures;
Recommend reparation to be charged against students based on the determined cost of the damaged facilities

Unfortunately, the law barring the Police from moving into campuses, prevented initial Police entry until a letter was transmitted to the commissioner of Police. These gave the vandals a field day. The reliance on the use of the Social Media for initial information also did not help matters as the misinformation spread abroad by mischievous people, aggravated the situation.

The Chairman Governing Council has been briefed and update would be given as events unfold.




Signed,

Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu

Deputy Registrar, Information

9th October, 2017The Multimillion Naira Damage/Carnage at the Federal Polytechnic

Ado – Ekiti

This is so sad.

The rector said on TV and I quote "ONLY ONE STUDENT DIED"