Sources have it that the Nigerian police in Uyo,
capital of Akwa Ibom State, today shot dead three protesting students
at the University of Uyo.
One of our sources said he was certain only of
one casualty, but the other said the figure was higher.
Several sources disclosed that the students were demonstrating against the introduction of transport fees.
Eyewitnesses said a peaceful procession on campus turned violent,
leading to the burning down of the vice chancellor’s office located at
Ikpa Road in Uyo.
“At least three students were shot and killed by the police,” said a
student source. He added that the police contingent had been brought in
to quell the uprising.
Unconfirmed reports said university officials have closed down the school indefinitely after the protests that turned violent.
An eyewitness said that the protest was started by
engineering students protesting the introduction of fares for the school
bus shuttle. The school earlier moved the engineering faculty and the
faculty of sciences from the town campus to the permanent site at
Nsukara Offot. “The distance between the two locations is very far,”
said the source. He added: “Before now the school provided buses that
shuttled between the two campuses of the university, and the bus service
was free to all students. Now this morning the students woke up to the
announcement that a fee of 100 naira has been fixed for the bus
services.”
Sources disclosed that the fares infuriated students who
afterwards mobilized for a peaceful protest. He said the university
officials then brought in policemen to break up the protest. Two of our
sources accused the police of using excessive show of force against the
unarmed protesters.
“They started firing teargas, and this made the students to respond
by turning violent. The students started hurling whatever objects, they
could lay their hands on at the police and blocked all the entrances and
exits locations in the school,” said one of the sources.
The sources said the protesters were stunned that the police fired
live ammunition at them. They said the irate students then burnt down
the VC’s office, other nearby buildings and the school gate.
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