SaharaReporters had reported how soldiers harassed and fired live ammunition at students who were protesting against the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Akure.
The National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Council, Ondo State, has berated the Nigerian Army over the shooting and harassment of peaceful students’ protesters by soldiers.
SaharaReporters had reported how soldiers harassed and fired live ammunition at students who were protesting against the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Akure.
The students who were drawn from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, AAUA, and Olusegun Agagu University of Technology, Okitipupa, OAUSTECH, had since on Monday barricaded the Ilesha/Akure highway disrupting vehicular movement.
The protesting students who bemoaned the attitude of the Nigerian government on the matter with ASUU had converged on the FUTA North Gate and Roadblock where they blocked the highway to register their grievances.
However, some soldiers who were coming from the Ilesha end of the road attacked the students, shooting sporadically and destroying their belongings.
In a statement sent to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Ondo NANS JCC Chairman, Omotoso Surprise, and Secretary, Akinola Temitope urged the army authorities to apologise and desist from disrupting the peaceful solidarity movement of Nigerian students.
The association also asked the Nigerian government to punish the soldiers involved in “this act of felony committed against Nigerian students.”
NANS said, “We write with utmost disdain to expressing our absolute resentment towards the unprofessionalism and attack by Nigerian army on harmless peaceful protesting students who have only come out to show their displeasure and bitterness on the street as a result of the ongoing ASUU strike that has stampeded academic activities of university students for months and to express their dissatisfaction over the negligence of federal government.
“However, it is so disappointing that our military operatives that are supposed to see to the security of the country and her people ended up misplacing their priorities by launching attack on the very people they're meant to safeguard. Sadly, we do not expect these military officers that are supposed to curb and end insurgency, banditry among others to open fire on students showing their grievances.
“These military officers aimed their guns at the NANS JCC Ondo Chairman, students’ union Presidents and students’ leaders present but by the fortune of providence, we had our ways and fled away from the ugly scenario, these military personnel shot at vehicles parked on the road (venue of the protest), and they also vandalized students properties which includes; sound system, laptops, canopies and food stuffs, phones and many other valuables were lost in the course of trying to scamper for safety in the face of the murderers who were committing sacrilege with the highly reverend and globally treasured Nigerian army uniform.
“We are asking the COAS, Lt Gen Farouk Yahaya and the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR); President of the federal Republic of Nigeria, when will these ugly incidence and national embarrassment end? At this juncture, the leadership of NANS JCC Ondo under the leadership of Comrade Omotoso Surprise condemned unequivocally, this repugnant and barbaric act by the Nigerian army which depicts that the lives of Nigerian students are worthless before them.
“Without much ado, we wish to reiterate the fact that the Nigerian students are not insurgents as such the Nigeria army should channel their anger to the appropriate quarters and desist from disrupting the peaceful solidarity movement of Nigerian students.
“NANS JCC Ondo State hereby calls on the State Government, Federal Government, and the Nigerian Army who must take responsibility and ensure the perpetrators of these obscene acts are brought to book because this is an act of felony committed against Nigerian students.
“We also demand a public apology from the said force (Nigeria Army) and that valuables carted away by these elements, those lost and destroyed during the criminal operation be immediately restored. And that the army takes full responsibility for the treatment of injured persons during the ugly scenario.
“Furthermore, that we await the immediate response of the Nigeria Army; that in the face of their unrepentant and brazen rape of our nascent democracy, they will have Nigerian students to contend with.
“That after 48 hours, beginning from the day of incident, we shall relocate the stand point of our protest to the Nigerian Army barracks until they are done killing every one of us, since they are only trigger friendly on civilians and pets to criminals. We reiterate without mincing words, that the leadership of NANS Ondo State is already in talks with other States, should the army fail to heed to our call for a nationwide protest at all Military barracks in Nigeria.”