FUTA students protest over incessant robbery attacks

Students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), on Friday protested against incessant robbery attacks ravaging the student community.

The protesting students, who blocked the ever-busy Akure/Ilesha road as early as 8 am, lamented over the activities of suspected burglars who usually pilfer valuables from their off-campus hostels.

Armed with placards bearing various inscriptions such as ‘Students’ Lives Matter’ and ‘Please Save Us from Robbers, We No Longer Sleep,’ among others, the students expressed their displeasure and concern over the lack of security measures to protect them in their hostels.

The students’ protest, however, led to serious gridlock along the busy road, causing motorists and travelers to be stranded for several hours.

The intervention of security agencies, who visited the area to appeal to the students to vacate the road, eventually resolved the situation, with an assurance that security operatives would be deployed to the student community.

Some of the students who spoke with our correspondent said they were protesting to save their lives from the activities of suspected robbers.

They emphasized the necessity of the protest to draw the attention of the school management and the Ondo State government to address the frequent robberies around the FUTA North gate area, pointing out the difficulty in receiving security interventions during robbery incidents.

A motorist, Mr. Enderance Daudu, advised the government to provide security around the area to prevent such disruptions affecting the masses.

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The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmi Odunlami, stated that the command has deployed men of the state police to the scene to prevent miscreants from taking over the protest.