have confirmed the suspension of four students for protesting and
disrupting academic activities.
The university, in a statement by the Public Relations
Officer, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, on Friday, also accused the suspended
students of engaging in criminal activities.
Other offences of the students, according to the press
statement, were the breach of the code of conduct for the University
community and a violation of their matriculation oath.
The students are Ibukun Omole, who is studying Civil
Engineering; Tosin Jacob, Law; John Udeh, Arts and Social Sciences; and
Babatunde Oluwalade of the Department of English.
The statement read in part, “The suspended students led some
other persons in protest and violently disrupted academic and extra
curricular activities of the University by forcefully chasing other
students out of the lecture halls under the guise of demonstrating
against an alleged unsatisfactory power supply to the campus.
“The students, together with other persons, vandalised
commercial transport vehicles of the members of the National Union of
Road Transport Workers, Ile Ife, and drove two other vehicles and a
Cabstar van, loaded with their groups, to More Police Station where
other students, who were being interrogated by the police, were
forcefully released by their group.”
It added that the suspended students had been asked to
vacate the university premises pending the conclusion of police
investigation of their criminal activities.
When contacted on the telephone, the Speaker of the OAU Students’ Union, Faleye Tope, faulted the suspension of the students.
He said the protest embarked upon was non-violent and was crime-free.
He said, “The union stands against the victimisation of our
students. Even the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria gives
room for freedom of expression. During the protest, there was neither
violence, vandalisation nor criminal activities.
“We demand the unconstitutional reinstatement of our students.”
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