Anambra varsity students protest insecurity

[SunNews]

From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

Hell was let loose yesterday as students of Anambra State University, Igbariam Campus numbering over 3,000 took to the streets to protest the killing of two of their school mates by suspected armed robbers.

The armed robbers, according to eyewitnesses stormed some hostels where the students live at about 7.30 p.m on Tuesday and raided them till about 11p.m when they left unchallenged but not without killing two students, raping many and maiming others.

One of the female students killed by the suspected armed robbers and whose name was given as Tessy Oseloke, a first year Mass Communication student, was said to have met her death because she refused to be raped by the assailants when they stormed her hostel.

Over eight students were said to have been seriously injured during the raid that lasted four hours without any help coming to the students .

Piqued by the incident, the students, in spontaneous reaction took to the streets and moved to the busy Onitsha-Enugu expressway, barricading the dual carriageway for about five hours leaving commuters stranded and frustrated.

The number of the angry students, some of whom were welding dangerous weapons  made the matter worse as the state police command team at the scene led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Agyole Abbey kept a safe distance to avert bloodshed. Some drivers, who are conversant with the terrain resorted to using the Old Road currently undergoing reconstruction by Governor Peter Obi's administration to beat the students' barricade.

Chanting war songs and with most of them including the females pulling off their shirts and blouses, the students lamented the high level of insecurity in the area, which is a stone throw from the headquarters of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

According to a female student, who spoke to newsmen on anonymity, the assailants robbed five hostels, adding that some of the injured students, who were taken to one of the hospitals in Awkuzu were refused treatment by the hospital because money was not deposited.

Somtochukwu Orji, who was one of the victims told newsmen that he was beaten  by the hoodlums, who also snatched his handset and N15, 000.

President of the Students Union Government (SUG), Casmir Obiakor lamenting that the insecurity situation in the school had become unbearable for the students said: "My fear is who is next, because, I was kidnapped last week by gunmen too and I was just released this Monday. Something needs to be done. The security in this place is nothing to write home about and moreover, the communities in this place do not help matters. They have their own vigilance groups but they are not effective."

Some female students, who also spoke on the incident said female students were being raped on daily basis in the area.

One of them said: "Oga, let us be sincere to you, we are in hell in this school because there is no day that passes that one of the female students will not be raped and it is painful because we are the ones affected and yet, nobody comes to our rescue. If the state government and the security operatives fail to do anything urgently, only God knows what will happen in this institution."

Reacting to the incident, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof Obiajulu Obikeze said: "We are having security challenges in this area, not in campus but outside the campus last night, a gang of robbers stormed their hostels, wounded many of our students and killed two of them.

"This action has been constant in this area. Everybody is becoming helpless and we believe that is why the students are creating such awareness. We are begging them not to be destructive as the problems will soon be over."

But in his reaction, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Emeka Chukwuemeka (DSP), said the police had not received any such information that some people were killed, but added that the command was doing everything possible to calm students and also to make sure that the area was highly secured for the students.

The police image maker further said the information police had was that the incident was as a result of clashes between rival cult groups in the campus, stressing, "If there was a genuine case of insecurity in the area, they should have sent some representatives to the state police commissioner for action to be taken on such issue, instead of allowing it to escalate."

Meanwhile, calm has returned in the area as at press time with police presence visibly everywhere.

 

Via: Sun News Online