By Gabriella Jese & Crystal Grace
The cause of the protest held by some residents of Hall 1 was as a result of the insecurity in the residence. According to the hostelites, successive robbery attacks have been carried out in the Halls of Residence since September 2021, and adequate measures to prevent these thefts from externals and intruders were not done properly.
The protest staged on 5th February 2022, was directed at alerting the Vice Chancellor about the issue. In the words of one of the protesters: “we said maybe mama VC has not heard about it, and so we have come to tell her…”
ACJ-UNIBEN reported that the enraged girls were dispersed as soon as they blocked the main gate of the school on that day, after which corrective measures were put in place to solve the security issue.
However, the panel of inquiry set up by the Vice Chancellor to look into the Protest remains a bone of contention. Why should the students be summoned? Is there any need for further clarifications?
Today, 11th February 2021, makes it the third day various Hall 1 residents have been summoned and questioned by the VC’s Ad-Hoc committee. One of the six (6) students who happened to be from the faculty of School of Basic Medical Sciences (BAMSA) came along with about eight (8) faculty excos; for fear of danger, she said.
Also present, was the New Dean of Students, Prof. Clement Ighodaro. Already, the S.U.G President, Comrade Foster Amadin, had been in attendance for the first two days of the investigation, and was also present today. “I have been following the matter judiciously,” Foster said, “and I promise that no student will be victimized.”
When the BAMSA student emerged from the conference room, her excos immediately enclosed her. She reported that she didn’t find the interrogation harmful in any way. Still unsatisfied with the nature of the inquiry, the excos approached the New Dean to state their complains. Prof Clement tried to reassure them of a fair-play-investigation. The excos remained unsatisfied, and sat outside to see to the end of the day’s investigation.
At the moment, the outcome of the Inquiry remains unknown: the students involved are relatively calm and hopeful.