Protesting UNIABUJA Students Say Beatings Were Ordered By Vice Chancellor
Protests continued into the evening, Monday night, at the University of Abuja by students furious over foot-dragging by professional bodies charged with accrediting university courses.
University officials had promised to accomplish the accreditations within a six month period but failed to meet their own deadline.
One protestor told a reporter: "As I speak to you, there is no equipment in our laboratory and the facilities are not enough to even invite the relevant authorities to commence the accreditation process,” he complained.
Around 8pm about 100 students at the main gate of the school were attacked by a violent mob brandishing cutlasses and sticks. The students escaped to the boys' and girls' hostel. Later, around midnight the thugs returned and attacked the hostels. Students reported that about 40 students were injured. They accused Vice-Chancellor Professor James Adelabu of using the thugs to intimidate them.
According to Mr. Waziri Garba, the process of inviting the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) for resource verification had been concluded and the commission was being awaited for the exercise.
The information officer, who confirmed that examinations could not be held in the university due to the protest, dismissed reports that the university had been closed down.
"It is true that the students could not write their examinations today following the protest but as I speak to you, there is no official statement on the closure of the university,” he said
In response to the attacks, some 200 student protesters stood in front of the main campus gate, blocking access to the highway that leads to Abuja. More than 1000 students residing at the Mini Campus in Gwagwalada blocked the SDP junction in Gwagwalada and forced all traffic coming from Lokoja to stop.
They are demanding the removal of the VC and a complete change of the style of school management.
The Federal Government suspended three programs of the university- Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Engineering. Since then both programs with the exception of Engineering have made progress with regards to getting accreditation from their professional bodies.
Source: Legit.ng
