The
University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday counted its loses as
the state Police Command said one student died in the Wednesday’s
protest by students of the institution.
It was also learnt that the offices of
the Vice-Chancellor, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Exams/Records and
Council Affairs were burnt by the students who were protesting the
introduction of fee in their General Studies, an increment in bus fare.
Hard disks were said to have been
removed from computers in the Computer Maintenance Department, 12
vehicles were vandalised, and the Finance and Accounts, students
accounts, and cash offices broken into.
The state police commissioner, Mr. Umar
Gwadabe, who confirmed the death, told our correspondent that 45
students had been arrested.
He said, “If not for the prompt response
of the police, students from Calabar and Bida, who infiltrated the
UNIUYO students’ population, would have unleashed mayhem on the city of
Uyo.”
Branch Chairman, Academic Staff Union of
Universities, UNIUYO, Mr. Anyim Nwachukwu, said what happened was
beyond his comprehension.
He stated that the union members were to have a meeting when the protest started.
He said, “What we know for now is that
there was crisis in the campus yesterday. But from the information we
received, some lives were lost. The students in turn razed school
property.
“We discovered that some offices of my
colleagues had been broken into and some things stolen. We can’t still
be definite about the damage.”
The Registrar of the institution, Mrs. Edak Umondak, said the school did not authorise any policeman to shoot students.
PUNCH
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