Students of Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, on Monday morning took to the streets of the campus over alleged insecurity, extortion and police brutality.
The students, who gathered in front of the school gate, were seen displaying different placards with inscriptions such as “End Police brutality now”, “protect, save, don’t abuse”, “This Extortion Must Stop”, among others, before they were dispersed with teargas.
The SUG president, Comrade Geoffrey George, who led the protest, said students have suffered in the hands of police and hoodlums within the community.
He said just last week, a trending video on social media was seen where a student of the institution was beaten and dragged, rolling on the ground by policemen.
According to him, “Students face extortion by policemen in Ikot Ekpene. We are not safe, especially those students living in the communities within the school environment.
“Hoodlums snatch phones from students and even kill them. We have buried more than five students in the last one year.
“They were killed by thieves who broke into their houses, collected their phones and killed them while police looked the other way.”
One of the students’ activists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the protest must continue to draw government attention to the plight of students in the institution.
“The Rector called SUG Executives this morning and warned that the protest should not continue but we said no because our students are in danger.
“Nobody will stop us. We must cry out for the world to know that the police are not helping us here. Our colleagues are dying while they are busy extorting money from poor students,” he alleged.
Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer for Akwa Ibom (PPRO) DSP Timfon John said the state Commissioner of Police Baba Mohammed Azare has invited the students for a meeting to resolve all issues affecting them.
Her words, “The Commissioner of Police Baba Azare has invited the students to a meeting this morning. We are waiting for them to come.
“Those students you saw at the school gate this morning are preparing to come for a meeting with the Police Commissioner.”