A protest, Friday, by students of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) turned awry as properties worth millions of naira were vandalized.
The students who were protesting an alleged increment in their tuition fee by the school management embarked on a peaceful procession in the University but went berserk after Policemen drafted to university to forestall breakdown of law and order, fired teargas at the students.
Thereafter, the students went on rampage after regrouping and broke into the school’s ICT Centre and carted away the computers and other electronic equipment running into millions of naira.
Majority of the buildings at various faculties were vandalized but the Policemen prevented the students from gaining access to the administrative block, which houses the office of the Vice Chancellor and other top management staff of the University.
Some of the students, who spoke claimed that “the management have been extorting the students for a long time, especially in the sale of textbooks and handouts, which are made mandatory for all students”.
They however disclosed that, “but what caused the protest was the recent increment of the schools by additional N13, 000.00 which they termed as fee for IT Wireless Access”.
According to the students, “it was supposed to be a peaceful protest and it started peacefully until the Policemen came and started firing teargas at us, while some where firing into the air. It was at that point that the students were provoked and vandalized some of the buildings”.
A security man, Mr. Obinna Augustine, who was on duty during the incident, said that, “I came to work around 9am and saw a large number of students chanting and shouting and when I asked was told by my HOD that they were protesting the increment of school fees and we were observing them to make sure that they did not destroy school properties until the Police arrived and started shooting teargas.
“It was at that point that the students went wild and started damaging anything at sight. The worst was the ICT Centre where which the completely looted and vandalized”.
A member of the management staff who didn’t want his name mentioned denied that the tuition fee was increased.
According to him, “the students were misinformed by some miscreants who sent out misleading report about plan by the University Management to hike the fee but the truth is that there is nothing like that”.
In the meantime the school has been closed indefinitely
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