UNIJOS Shut Down,Four Students Shot

Four students of the University of Jos in Plateau State were on Tuesday shot by yet-to-be identified security operatives during a protest by some students which led to the closure of the institution by the school authority.

The spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF) on peace in Jos, Captain Ikedichi Iwela, confirmed the incident, saying: “Four students were shot by unidentified security operatives while the students were protesting.”
He added: “The injured students are currently receiving treatment at the STF Clinic at the force’s headquarters.
“We had to rush them to our clinic for treatment because government hospitals are  currently on strike. The injured students are responding to treatment.”

He denied the involvement of the task force in the shooting.
Similarly, the police have also exonerated its men, saying the Force had nothing to do with the shooting.

The state Police Commissioner, Nasiru Oki, said: “When we got the news of the protest, we immediately deployed our men in the scene to protect public properties and to forestall any breakdown of law and order, but none of our men fired any shot.”

Thousands of students of the university had started a protest on Monday, shutting down academic activities and demanding the reversal of the decision of the management of the institution to increase their development levy.

President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Abel Nok Du, had said the students were agitated by the increase of their levies.
“We are calling for the removal of the N10, 000 development levies from our school fees. We are also calling for the reduction of N25, 000 acceptance fees for admitted students.

“As I’m talking to you now, most of our properties have been destroyed as a result of our position-standing between the students and the school authorities,” the students’ union leader said.

Du disclosed that: “The SUG met with the school authority and resolved that the examinations would start yesterday, but the students were adamant and accused us of compromise, and therefore destroyed our properties.”

But the management of the university denied the allegation. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Hayward Mufuyai, told the students to disregard the rumours being peddled that the management intends to review school charges.