When YABATECH students rose against violence
The Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) in Lagos
was in turmoil last Thursday, as some students went after a group of
boys suspected to be cultists, who macheted a student. The action
disrupted academic and social activities. WALE AJETUNMOBI and MARK ORGU
(300-Level Educational Management, School of Technical Education,
YABATECH) report.
SOME students were having a nice time in
the Complex Hall’s common room when the boys arrived, blocking the
entrance. They stopped people from entering or leaving. Unaware of what
was happening, Chinonso Anyankura, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the
National Association of Anambra State Students, arrived on the scene.
He insisted on going in and the boys, who were suspected to be cultists
descended on him. The attack on their colleague infuriated other
students.
The following day, they went after the boys, who macheted Chinonso.
They abandoned their books and a test to
seek redress for a colleague. They shocked members of the college
community, who woke up to the students’ fury.
Many students were watching a UEFA
Champions league match in the Complex Hall common room on Wednesday when
the suspected cultists dealt Chinonso machete blows.
Eyewitnesses told CAMPUSLIFE that trouble started when the suspected cultists stormed the room.
A student, who pleaded not to be named,
said:“The guy (Chinonso) did not know they were cultists and tried to
challenge them. They pounced on him; he was boxed to a corner where he
was attacked with cutlasses.”
Other students scampered for safety as
the victim was being beaten by the assailants, who left him in a pool of
his own blood. He was rushed to a clinic on the campus, where he was
stabilised. The suspected cultists fled.
The students regrouped and chased the
cultists to an off-campus area, but the assailants were not found. The
incident triggered a midnight protest by occupants of the Complex Hall,
who said cult attacks on students were becoming rampant. They cited
cases of cultists invading the campus to harass students.
The protesters, who vandalised
properties in the hall, said the campus was becoming unsafe for them,
because “students now live at the mercy of criminals”. The protest was
led by Students’ Union Government (SUG) officials.
The next day, students refused to go
back to their hostel. They gathered in front of the ETF Hall,
barricading the main and alternative gates. They prevented staff members
from entering the campus and demanded to see the Rector, Dr Margret
Ladipo, who was not around during the demonstration.
The make-shift tents raised by Techno Mobile, which sponsors the ongoing Rector’s Cup competition, were vandalised.
Efforts by some staff members to placate
the students failed. The protesters stood their ground that they wanted
to speak to the Rector. CAMPUSLIFE learnt that the Dean of Students’
Affairs, Mr O.T. Raheem, who tried to pacify the protesters, was pelted
with sachet water. He left the scene hurriedly.
The school security personnel watched as
students used all sorts of materials to barricade the main gate.
Policemen deployed to maintain order were pelted with stones and sachet
water by the students, but they did not fire any shot.
The protesters, who went to the hostels
to call out more students, prevented anyone from taking their pictures.
An ND 1 student, who took pictures of the protest with his phone, was
attacked; he was beaten to a pulp before he was rescued by the Man O’
War cadets. The student was taken to the clinic by the cadets.
A member of the Students’ Union
Representative Council, who did not want his name in print, accused the
management of indifference to the students’ plight.
“Just last month, a student was shot by a
group of boys outside the school gate in the night. Nobody said
anything because the shooting did not occur on the campus. As the
cultists left the school yesterday (Wednesday) after they injured
Chinonso, we learnt they went to disrupt a students’ departmental party
in Yaba. For how long will cultists harass students while the management
remains indifferent?” he asked.
An ND II student, who simply identified
himself as Amadi, described Chinonso as non-violent. He said: “I still
saw him a few minutes before he was attacked. I don’t believe that he is
a cult member as some people claimed. Even after he was treated in the
clinic, he still kept his calm. He just sat down and looked into space.
This confirms that he is not a cult member.”
Several hours after the demonstration,
Dr Ladipo arrived to address the students. She described the incident as
unfortunate, saying the culprits would be brought to book. The
management, she said, was doing its best to strengthen security on the
campus, noting that such occurrence was a one-off thing.
The management has set up a panel to
look into the matter. The panel comprises four students, including SUG
president. The panel will look into the immediate cause of the crisis,
with a view to stopping the harassment of students.
The Rector prayed for peace in the school, urging God to punish troublemakers.
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