Some students of the Kaduna State University (KASU) on Monday staged a protest against the alleged shutting down of the institute’s gates by its authorities.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited the university, reports that all gates into the university were shut with only staffs and medical students allowed entrance.
Some of the students had come to submit their final projects, while others were in the school to defend their final year projects, but were all denied access.
Following the development, the stranded students barricaded the Tafawa Balewa Way, but were later dispersed by heavily armed policemen, led by ASP Samuel Ibrahim.
The students in their numbers later moved to the back gate through Marafa Estate and continued their protest by barricading all access roads leading to the university main gate.
However, the gate was also manned by officers of the police led by ACP Buhari Bello, who managed to contain the students and prevented the protest from becoming violent.
One of the students, Khalil Adam, Welfare Director, National Association of Arts Students, told NAN that there was no official communication from the school management to explain why they were denied access to the university.
“We heard a rumour yesterday that the school has been shut down only for us to come to the institute this morning to find the gates closed.
“The security officers at the gate told us that they were asked to close the gate, and that only staff will be granted access,” he said.
A final year pharmaceutical science student, who craved anonymity, told NAN that she came to defend her final project but was denied access to the school.
“We came to school this morning to defend our final project only to find the school gate shut and all efforts to convince the security official to grant us access failed.
“As it stands now, we don’t know our fate,” she said.
On his part, a student of Biochemistry, who also craved anonymity, said that the closure of the university gates was unconnected with the ongoing protest by students over increment of school fees by the state government.
Ladan said that the increment of the fees would force most students to crime, adding that the increase, from between N24, 000 and N36, 000 to between N100, 000 and N400, 000 was beyond the reach of the poor.
He urged the Federal Government to intervene or prepare to contain the expected increase in criminal activities as fallout of the increase in school fees.
Mr Abubakar Abdullahi, a member of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in the institution said that it was within the rights of the students to protest the increase in fees.
He said that out of the about 5, 000 newly admitted students in the university, only 11 students were able to pay the new fees.
Mr Adamu Bargo, the Public Relation Officer of the university, in a statement denied the shutting down of the institution gates.
“The Management of Kaduna State University wishes to inform staff, students and the general public to ignore the news being spread in the social media space regarding shutting down of the university.
“It is fake news in its entirety as well as the handiwork of mischief-makers, academic activities are in progress.
“Management urges everyone to carry on with their legitimate activities as it is partnering with security agencies in the state to ensure the safety of all and sundry,” he said. (NAN)
