University of Benin (UNIBEN) students numbering over 1,000 yesterday staged a protest over the demolition of 18 buildings belonging to the university, by the Edo State Government.

The protest, it was gathered, was also against the beating of protesting lecturers on Tuesday, as well as the destruction of their vehicles and stealing of their personal effects, by the protesters.

Thousands of passengers were held up along the Ugbowo-Lagos Expressway, along which the university is located.

A luxury commuter bus popularly called ‘Comrade Bus’ was set on fire by the angry students, while another 18-seater transport bus also had its windshield broken and both buses were used to block the expressway, causing a major gridlock on the highway.

Some of the students who did not give their names, angrily said that the government should have known better than attacking lecturers: “We are here to send signals to the governor. He has decided to set thugs after our school. We are ready for them”.

The milling students did a stop-and-check on vehicles; apparently in a bid to confiscate any vehicle belonging to the state government. Not even the heavy presence of anti-riot policemen and soldiers deterred the students, who only returned from the Christmas and New Year break.

As at the time of filing this report, students, soldiers and police officers were standing on opposite sides of the expressway, refusing to allow flow of traffic.

Addressing journalists in the university, counsel to the institution, Barrister Hannibal Uwaifo accused the state government of launching ‘an unprecedented assault on the university towards forcefully reclaiming gifted properties’.

The statement he signed read that the land in question was given to the university by the old Bendel State, and also accused the government of unlawfully selling off properties of the university to highly placed individuals in the Benin palace.

He also accused the police of complicity in the incident: “our clients have reached out to the Edo State Commissioner of Police for intervention.

“Unfortunately, the mannerism and status of those involved in these diabolic acts appear to overwhelm the ability of the police to intervene’.

It called on the police to carry out a proper investigation with a view to punishing offenders”.

On his part, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIBEN chapter also accused the state government of giving directives to thugs to ‘waste anybody on account of this. It is disgraceful for someone like him (Oshiomhole) to direct that people be assaulted and wasted’.

However, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the state government served authorities of the University of Benin a notice, three years ago, to vacate the 18 properties belonging to state government, but rather than vacate, they took the government to court.

He said the government waited for the court to deliver judgment, which it did on December 16, last year, ordering the university authorities to vacate the said properties “forthwith” ruling that the 18 properties belonged to the state government.

According to him, having waited from December 16, 2014 for the illegal tenants to vacate the properties and they refused, government took steps granted by the court to recover the properties in the interest of the people of the state.

Adapted from Newswatch Times