Court remands 14 students over protest in Ondo

A Magistrate Court sitting in Owo,  headquarters of Owo local government area of Ondo state, on Wednesday ordered the remand of 14 students of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, (RUGIPO) arrested during the student rampage on Monday.

The accused students who included,  13 male and one female were alleged to have participated in a violent demonstration protesting over the new policy of no school fees no examination policy introduced by the management of the school.

The accused students, brought before the court were a charge of conspiracy, the felony to wit stealing and malicious damage, pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.

The name of the included Lukman Arowolo 21, Iyanuoluwa Gift 21, Olayinka Oyewole 21, Aladejebi Temitope 35, Oluwadare Gbenga 26, and Japhet Samuel 21.

Others are Ayeni Samuel 24, Lawrence Monday 24, Titus Felix 22, Emmanuel Segun 23, Ayeni Temitope 21, Ayeni Trust 23, Olayinka Olalekan 17, and Ayomide Opeyemi 21.

The Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Edu Owolabi told the court that, offences of the suspects are contrary and punishable under Sections 516, 390(9) and 451of the Criminal Code Cap 37 Volume. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria, 2006.

Owolabi prayed the court not to grant bail to the students as pleaded by their counsel who opposed for the release of his clients.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mr Sunday Adedapo, however, adjourned the ruling on the bail of the application to February 5, 2018, while the accused should be kept in police custody.

Students of the state-owned polytechnic. on Monday, protested over the decision of the management of the institution over the policy on payment of school fees, disrupting the ongoing second-semester examination in the school.

The students of the state-owned polytechnic kicked against the action of the management, trooped out of the examination hall, blocking the major road and causing traffic gridlock on the ever busy road.

The aggrieved students who were sent out from their various examination halls for non-payment of school fees destroyed properties worth millions of naira in the school.