Students flee for safety as police invade TV College

Some students of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Television College (TV COLLEGE) in Rayfield, Jos, the Plateau State capital, escaped being shot by a team of policemen and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) during a pandemonium that followed a protest at the Plateau State Government House.  AUGUSTINE ANYANWU reports.

There was pandemonium at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Television College (TV COLLEGE) in Jos, Plateau State, last Thursday. Policemen attached to the Government House in Rayfield went wild, firing gunshots and teargas canisters indiscriminately as they chased students into the college campus.

The students were on field practice when they ran into a group of youths protesting the killing of Saf Ron Kulere of Bokkos, Da Lazarus Agai, by unknown gunmen. The Bokkos youths peacefully marched on the Government House, but they were dispersed by a joint team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and mobile policemen.

The students, who watched from a safe distance, saw the youths’ protest as newsworthy and brought out their digital cameras to record the scene. This did not go down well with the security operatives, who ran after the students.

Sensing trouble, the students ran back to their campus, but the security men chased them, firing guntshots and teargas canisters.

At the college main gate, some of the students were apprehended, maltreated and harassed by the rampaging officers. Some had their digital cameras seized; others were whisked away. When other students got wind of the development, they mobilised to rescue their colleagues from the officers. This, however, led to a confrontation. The officers threatened to shoot any student who stood in their way as they attempted to seize more cameras.

The students prevented the officers from maltreating their colleagues, who went for field practice. This resulted in a fracas. The officers fired more shots and teargas to disperse the growing crowd of angry students. Some students were injured in the ensuing chaos.

Uren Makut, a graduating student, escaped being shot when she attempted to take pictures of students being maltreated by the officers at the college gate. A policeman pointed his gun at her as she ran away from the scene.

© thenation newspaper/campus life