The Police and representatives of the students of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun state on Saturday traded blames over the peaceful protest that turned violent last Thursday in the university community.
At least one student, Taiwo Abisoye and Police officers were injured, with Taiwo still at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, where he is recuperating after a surgery on the head in the violence, which erupted during the protest.
Also some vehicles were burnt and a church, Divine Height Bible Church in Kotopo belonging to the University Vice chancellor, Prof. Olusola Oyewole was vandalized.
While the Police claimed that there was no live bullet shot during the crisis and the injured Taiwo was taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) by them, the students declared that there could be nothing far from the truth in the claim.
Also, while the police said the about 50 students under prosecution were arrested at the scene of the violence, the students said almost all the arrested students was picked from their hostels and some outside the community where the incident occurred, hours after.
The students, led by the Secretary of the Union Government (SUG), Oyekunle Afeez and Speaker of the Students' Representative Council, Segun Mark Odebowale on a youth programme on Rock City FM few minutes ago said the Ogun state Police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi was economical with the truth on the position of the police during the violence last Thursday.
Oyeyemi, who had called in into the programme claimed: "No single shot was fired at them. The boy who was injured must have been hit by one of the stones. We took him to the FMC, if it has been a live bullet, the boy would have died instantly."
The students however, disagreed that the Police actually took Taiwo to the FMC, "but, a Good Samaritan did. It was while we are on the way to FMC that we saw a police vehicle behind us. So let me say emphatically that the Police did not take him to the hospital, but, let me say they provided escort.
"When we got to the hospital, we were asked to get a letter from the school, before he could be treated, so it is not true that they took him to the hospital," the SUG scribe said.
The students' representatives also declared that there was no iota of truth in the claim that no live bullet was used as Afeez said the cartridge of the bullet was picked by the students, as Mark also said most of the students arrested were picked from their hostels hours after the Police had retreated.
This was contrary to the submission by Oyeyemi that the arrested students, who are now in courts were picked at the scene of the incident.
The students demanded compensation for injured Taiwo, which include sponsorship of his education and offsetting the medical bill at UCH.
DailyTrust
No comments:
Post a Comment