University of Uyo shut down indefinitely; ...2 students killed and several buildings set ablaze during protest

The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) in Akwa Ibom State has been shut down indefinitely, following the death of two students during an encounter with the Police.

It was revealed that the students had embarked on peaceful protest on the campus Wednesday, over the introduction of a new transport fare regime for the engineering and science students from the town campus to permanent site.

According to an eyewitness, there was “heavy shootings and tear-gassing along Ikot Ekpene, Ikpa, Ibiam roads by UNIUYO axis by the police to disperse the protesting students.”

The irate students reacted to the killing of their colleagues by torching the offices of the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar as well as some other administrative buildings in the school.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Comfort Ekpo, was said to have travelled to Abuja, on official engagement when the incident occurred. Management staff were said to have escaped through various routes ostensibly to avoid been attacked by the protesting students.

Sources said trouble escalated when the students broke the rule to move their protest outside the school premises, thereby meeting stiff resistant from security operatives at the Ikot Ekpene-Ikpa road roundabout.

In the violent confrontation, the police said to have move in with more than 15 Hilux vans fully loaded with armed police opened fired and tear gas on the students resulting in the death of the two students while some others, mostly asthmatic students, were rendered unconscious.

The school authority, it was gathered recently announced a new transport fare of N200 per day to convey students from the town campus to the permanent site with effect from Wednesday through private sector arrangement.
 
A final year law student who didn’t want his name in print said that police came in during the peaceful protest to shot sporadically, which resulted in a student being killed and other students falling unconscious as a result of the gun shots.

“We were not armed but the police came with all sorts of ammunition in a peaceful protest embark by the students,” the student said.

A 300-level engineering student lamented the increase in transportation fare which he said was not on the notice of the students.

The Chief Security Officer (CSO), Col. Nyong (rted), who was chased out from the campus, admitted that school management brought in a private consultant to handle student transport fare from the town campus to the permanent site but at the rate of N100.