Police, FSS Students Clash in Oyo Town

The men of the Nigeria Police Force of the Atiba Divisional Police Station and the students of the Federal School of  Surveying, Oyo, yesterday were involved in a face-off which led to injuries and eventually, the arrest of some of the students of the institution. 

I was alerted this morning of the incident which happened yesterday evening by one of the students who sent me some really disturbing pictures. This, apparently, forced me to visit the scenes and interview the parties involved in the brouhaha to come up with a balanced story. 

My first point of call was to the Federal School of Surveying, Oyo located along Ogbomoso road. On gaining entrance with my three-man crew, we sighted students standing in groups. 

 

Students standing in group discussing the issue

OmoIyaKunmi addressing the student leaders

While some of the students were discussing the event of the previous nights, some were agitating for a protest/reprisal. Immediately, I put a call across to the President-elect of the Students' Union Government who came to  meet us alongside with the outgoing President, Com. Tosin and some other excos of the union. 

After a brief introduction, I demanded for the students' side of the story. 

Kindly note that this is a version of the story established according to the students' reports and some evidences we gathered within the school premises. 

The Students' Version

An HND 2 student of the school (name withheld) allegedly went to eat at a popular food canteen not to far from the school. He was already eating when he started 'bragging' that he shared a close relationship with the DPO of Atiba Police Station and that they often meet to sit down together, eat and gist. 

Unknown to the student who was merely trying to impress other customers nearby, he didn't know the DPO was actually one of the customers in the canteen wearing mufti clothes. 

According to the students' version of the report, the DPO, who was furious and felt insulted by the guy's insulted ordered for a police van and some officers from the station to arrest the student. In a matter of minutes, the guy was whisked away by the police officers to the Atiba Divisional Police station. 

On getting to the station, the student's legs were chained and he was ordered to start cutting grasses in the police compound. It was this sight that attracted one of the students who was passing by the station. He recognized the individual before him as one of his colleagues and he hurriedly ran back to the school, opposite the station, to alert other students and students' union. 

On receiving the news, the students were infuriated and proceeded immediately to the station demanding for the release of one of them. 

At this point, I asked myself these posers;  

Why not demand for an explanation on why one of them was chained and punished? Why were they not patient enough to send their leaders to a round table with the officers to know what crime the guy in question committed? 

The students got furious and, according to witnesses, demanded that the police officers release the student or they burn down the station. 

This escalated into a crisis between the student-protesters and the officers of the Nigeria Police Force. Not only were some students injured and arrested, the Police were also not left unhurt. About thirteen students were arrested in the chaos.

It was this crisis that made the DPO of the Station to summon the presence of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to assist the police to disperse the students. 

 

One of the seriously injured students

It was getting to around past 7pm when this happened. The SARS men came and according to the students, the armed men descended on them. They released tear gas and shot sporadically. These were some what the students gathered for us to see; 

It was at this point that I was forced to call the DPO of the Atiba Divisional Station to inform him of my intention to visit his office for his side of the story. Immediately I brought up the issue which I referred to as a 'crisis', he was quick to 'correct' me. 

He said, "Its not a crisis. The students were law breakers. And the offenders must be punished. We crave for change but we the future leaders are the ones responsible for breakdowns of law and orders in the society. Its bad! The guy was rude and arrogant. He has already been charged to court and we will see that others arrested also face the wrath of the law. Why will they want to burn down the station? Why?"

When I realized that meeting him  one-on-one would  facilitate proper information, I quickly jumped in. 

"Sir, can I come down to your office now?" he replied that he was traveling to Ibadan and that by 3pm, he would be back to meet me. 

Inspecting the one of the sites of the incident

Unfortunately, a visit to the food canteen where the issue allegedly started yielded no results as the staff were not cooperating with us.

3pm, this afternoon, is when I am waiting to ask the DPO these questions; 

1. Why was the student arrested in the first instance? What crime did he commit?

2. Of what gravity is such crime that the accused was chained immediately and asked to start weeding? 

3. Why were bullets and teargas released on the harmless students? 

I will be right back after the meeting with the DPO, hopefully today, to give the Police version of the story.

Thanks. 

OmoIyaKunmi

08062350129