June 2nd, 2016 Auchi Polytechnic protest won't just be forgotten in a short time. Today we take a critical look at the protest and give our best answers to questions generated.
After series of investigation these were our findings:
1. Those involved in the protest were mostly ND1 and HND1 students, this is because the protest kicked off at about 9:30 am, and the new in take were the first to write exam that day.
2. Violence started when the school security unit (Fazal) interrupted the exam and torn answer booklets of students, as well as other harassment, however when the protest was just started and in order to scare and calm the students, gun shot were fired which led to the accusations that students were killed in the by the school security men which further led to the violence. The school management and the press have never talked about this part and we believe the school management are shading this part and covering it up with property destroyed.
3. The Non registered students issue: According to the acting rector, those who were involved in the protest are not students of the institution because they have paid their school fee.
This fact is true to a very large extent, this is because when offered admission you are given time to process/accept your admission, but during the previous years new students who could not meet up with this conditions were still allowed to write exam.
4. Property destroyed/ Vandalized: According to video clips on news report, The library, offices, computers, cars, cars stereos were vandalized as the video show vehicle owners lamenting over their damaged or burnt vehicles.
5. Reason for protest beyond the new policy: in an interview with news men, the acting rector claimed that the protest were fueled by bad eggs in the institution and stated that before the protest, the institution was investigating claims by Punch newspaper negative publication about the corruption and sexual harassment in the Polytechnic, he said the protest was a means to sabotage the investigation.
6. A total number of 94 students comprising of Mostly male and a few numbers of female has been arrested and charged to court and the state commissioner of police has pledge to bring more to book.
7. According to a Newspaper report: The suspects who are reported to have confessed that they are members of a secret Cult group also claimed they were recruited from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Delta State University, Abraka and the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and that their mission was to burn down the Bursary and Academic departments of the institution.
It is not yet clear to what purpose the cultists were hired.
With this newspaper report, one will wonder if the violent protest was planned and arranged before that day.
8. Students started the protest but the vandalization was not carried out by students but by tugs and hooligans, who saw the protest as a means to carry out their evil plans.
9. No student was killed during the protest but many suffered various degree of injuries.
10. The closure of the school affect both regular students and spat, as resumption date is unknown.
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