Fire was opened on
protesting students of the University of Jos by Security agents in Plateau
state injuring 11 as the protest over an alleged school fees increment entered
its second day.
The Student Union
Government (SUG) Public Relations Officer Longgun Dakwon told Daily Trust on
phone that the shooting was carried by military men who stormed the school
premises and arrested some students.
Dakwon explained that
"I narrowly escaped the military came into our classes and shot some of us
while some were arrested and now the school authority is asking us to vacate
our hostel when some of us have only N30."
Our correspondent saw seven
of the injured students who are presently receiving treatment at the Plateau
Specialist hospital while the STF said it has four of the injured students.
STF spokesperson, Captain
Ikedichi Iweha denied the allegation that the military was behind the shooting
but said four students were receiving treatment in their facility.
Captain Iweha explained
that though four men of the STF were also injured by miscreants who hijacked
the protest, security operatives had evacuated the injured students to a
Military facility and that their condition is stable.
He added that "there
were other security agents there and there was a shooting in which four
students were injured. However the shooting was not carried out by STF. On the
first day of the protest, the students poured water on us and stoned us but we
exercise restraint. Today there was need for reinforcements so other security
agents had to join."
The STF spokesman advised
the students to desist from infringing on the rights of road users stressing
that "the school property is under threat because they have allowed
miscreants to hijack the protest, four of our men were injured during the
protest yet we exercised restrain, their protest should be within the bounds of
law."
Protesting Unijos students
on Jos-Bauchi road yesterday
Our correspondent who spoke
with the injured students said they were given first aid in the hospital but
that the bullets were yet to be removed. They stressed that they were shot by
men of the STF.
Daily Trust gathered that
there were several gunshots during the incident while some students were chased
out of the Bauchi road campus.
Authorities of the
university today also said it had shut down the institution indefinitely to
stave off further protest and to protect lives and property in the school.
A statement signed by the
University Registrar, Mr. Jilli Dandam, and made available to Newsmen in Jos also asked the students to vacate
their halls of residence.
The statement reads:
"in order to avoid further escalation of the situation, the management met
this morning decided that the school be closed down until further notice.
Students are therefore directed to vacate their hostels."
Heartless
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