Yesterday, a tense situation unfolded as officers from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) deployed tear gas against University of Lagos (UNILAG) students who were protesting against a tuition fee increase at their institution,leadership reports.
According to our correspondent, the students had gathered at the university to stage a peaceful demonstration in opposition to the rising tuition costs.
The police, present to oversee the situation, reportedly discharged tear gas and made arrests during the protest at the University of Lagos campus in Akoka, Yaba. Two individuals, identified as Femi Adeyeye and Philip Olatinwo, were apprehended by law enforcement in connection with their participation in the protest against the escalating school fees prevalent across educational institutions in the country.
At the protest site, the police, alongside personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and university security officers, were present to disperse the impassioned protesters who had congregated at the university entrance.
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While the students maintained their presence near the university’s gate, police officers and NSCDC personnel established a barricade to deter further protests, resorting to tear gas to disperse the crowd.
It was discovered that the protest had been organized by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which had previously announced its intention to mobilize its members for a demonstration at the University of Lagos on Tuesday. In a statement, Giwa Temitope, the National Public Relations Officer for NANS, explained, “We are mobilizing to protest the tuition fee hike at UNILAG, which occurred on August 2. Our primary demand is a complete rollback of the fee increment for the students.”
Seyi Johnson, an aspiring student at the university, also expressed frustration, saying, “We were denied access to the school facilities, including those of us who came for the screening exercise, as they feared we might join the protest.”
As of the time of this report, Ben Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Lagos State police command, a superintendent of police, has yet to respond to calls and text messages regarding the incident.
