MAPOLY students protest shut down Abeokuta

Some major parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, was for several hours shut down by protesting students of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic(MAPOLY), over the controversy surrounding the conversion of the institution to a University of Science and Technology.

Human and vehicular activities were disrupted by the students, as they blocked the road leading to the State Secretariat, demanding an immediate resolution to their suspended second term examination.

The students in their hundreds all dressed in black attire were chanting anti-government songs.

Addressing newsmen,  the chairman,  National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Ogun State axis, Comrade Olawale Balogun, said the protest tagged “Black Week”, was a way of appealing to the state government and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), MAPOLY chapter, to iron out all issues concerning the conversion of the school to a university.

He said that the protest would continue until the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, address them on the matter.

The students took the protest to the Governor’s Office and did not allow the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa, to address them.

However,  a police corporal, Samuel Daniel, was injured in the course of the protest.

He was pelted with stones by the angry students at the frontage of the government secretariat.

Also, a female student was reported to have slumped during the protest.

The protesting students were later dispersed with teargas by the Police when they wanted to prevent a Nigerian Army vehicle from having free access.

Meanwhile, the government has expressed disappointment over what it called uncivil conduct of the students while promising to continue to interface with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that all issues are resolved.