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Tag: FUOYE

  • Fayemi orders probe into killing of FUOYE students

    Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state has called on the state police Commissioner, Mr Amba Asuquo, to expose those behind the killing of two students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) during a protest.

    Fayemi, who made the call in a broadcast on Monday, said a Judicial Panel of Inquiry would be constituted to probe the incident, as demanded by student union bodies.

    He said the state government would compensensate families of the dead as well as foot the bills of those injured.

    The governor also lauded the exoneration of his wife, Bisi, from cause of the deaths.

    He said it was wrong for anyone to terminate the lives of students holding a lawful protest over poor electricity supply to their campus.

    “I have in the last few days agonised over the incident that took place at FUOYE on Tuesday, Sept 10, 2019

    “Until the multiple investigations already set up are completed, I am necessarily constrained from talking about the details of what transpired

    “I however do not need to be constrained about the emotions a tragedy like this evokes

    “Any death is a tragedy. Any shooting arising from legitimate protests diminishes our fledgling democratic dispensation and calls to question, our commitment to fundamental human rights

    “Having heard from all parties to the incident, it is pertinent that I now personally convey my deeply felt sorrow for the loss of two promising young lives and for those who suffered injuries

    “Our government prides itself on its strict adherence to the rule of law. The right of citizens to protest on any issue relating to governmental actions or inactions is a fundamental component of our good governance agenda

    “We could not therefore under any circumstances, have directed that deadly force be used on any of our citizens freely expressing their right to protest

    “Even before the conclusion of the investigations into this matter, we have taken a number of steps; a high level government delegation has visited the families of the deceased

    “This will not be a one-off intervention. We will stand firmly with, and support the families at this time. Those persons with varying degrees of injuries will also be given support whilst their hospital expenses will be defrayed by government

    “I have directed the State Commissioner of Police to urgently commence an investigation into the circumstances that led to the unfortunate shooting incident with a view to identifying possible culprits within and outside the Force

    “Taken together with the ongoing investigation by the University management, we will consider the need for an independent panel of inquiry, if necessary once these fact finding investigations are concluded,” he said.

    The governor said he had suggested to police authorities to explore the use of non-lethal rubber bullets in managing public protests, vowing that the Nigerian Governors Forum would take this up at the highest level.

    “I note the initial public statement by the University authorities and its Students Union body. We welcome the conclusion that neither the wife of the Governor nor any Government official directed the shootings

    “Indeed it is obvious that the wife of the Governor and those on her entourage are victims of this unfortunate incident.

    “The issue that led to the protest has been the subject of intense disagreement and negotiations with BEDC since I became Governor

    “Only last week, my Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities was still in Benin to see BEDC management on the matter of inadequate and inconsistent supply of electricity in Ekiti State

    “Though Governors do not have any control over privatised power distribution companies, the four Governors from the states covered by the Benin DISCO have consistently expressed dissatisfaction with the services of BEDC and taken the matter up with the Vice President who chairs the Privatisation Council

    “In addition to this, I have been talking to the Rural Electrification Agency about including FUOYE in the next round of their University Electrification Project,” the governor said.

    He appealed for calm and caution as government awaited the reports of the various investigations, saying no persons or group should attempt to use the tragic incident to destabilise the peace and progress of the state.

  • FUOYE Crisis: Police warn against illegal assembly as NANS ‘relocates’ to Ekiti

    FUOYE Crisis: Police warn against illegal assembly as NANS ‘relocates’ to Ekiti

    The administrative machinery of the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS) will relocate to Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital, in response to the killing of two students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, its National Secretary, Comrade Yusuf Farouk said.

    The Students had on last Tuesday staged a violent protest in Oye Ekiti over incessant power outage in the host community, leading to attack on Erelu Fayemi while on an empowerment and advocacy tour to engage with women in the local government.

    They were said to have engaged the security operatives detailed with the First Lady in a clash with two persons killed and several others injured and over a dozen of vehicles vandalised by the rampaging students.

    In a statement signed and issued by its National Secretary, Comrade Yusuf Farouk, the students’ body called on all affiliate unions, elected and active members of the organization in Kogi, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun to mobilise in solidarity with FUOYE students.

    According to the statement, the students’ body National Secretariat will be relocated to Ado-Ekiti on Sunday with a meeting fixed for FUOYE SUG executives and NANS/ JCC Ekiti leadership and stakeholders.

    The two days showdown will end with a World Press Conference and preceded by mother of all procession to the Government House on Tuesday.

    The mapped out plan by the secretariat is to visit the school management, families of the deceased students, traditional rulers of each community, injured students at the hospital, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Ekiti State Government, Department of State Security Service and State Police command.

    The statement said: “The National Secretariat, notified all affiliate unions, elected and active members of the organization in Kogi, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun to mobilise in solidarity with the oppressed students of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.

    “Kindly note that in mourning the departed comrades and seeking justice on their behalf, no unruly attitude will be tolerated.”

    Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Police Command, has warned that students should desist from an unlawful assembly that can worsen the insecurity situation in the state.

    In a statement in Ado Ekiti on Sunday by its Public Relations Officer, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, the police said it has discovered through intelligence gathering that a group under the auspices of ‘ex-graduates’ , who are not currently students of any higher Institutions are presently moving into the state with the sole aim of fomenting and precipitating trouble over the FUOYE crisis.

    “However, the Police Command is using this medium to warn any One or Group of Person(s) against any Unlawful Assembly with an intent to cause breach of Peace.

    “The Police Command has the constitutional mandate to maintain Law and order and also to stop or advice any gathering which it thinks might lead to the break of law and order.

    “Furthermore, the police command shall deal decisively with any one or group who takes Law into their hands. Such a person will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly no matter how highly placed”

  • FUOYE killings: God will judge you for cutting our members lives’ short, NANS tells Fayemi’s wife

    FUOYE killings: God will judge you for cutting our members lives’ short, NANS tells Fayemi’s wife

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on Thursday said it was dismayed at the attempt by wife of Ekiti Governor Erelu Bisi Fayemi, to absolve herself of any blame over the death of two students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti(FUOYE) on Tuesday during a protest.

    NANS accused Mrs. Fayemi of dishing out untruths in her bid to deflect the burden of blame over the death of two of its members during the protest over poor electricity supply in the bustling town.

    It declared the “Almighty God is the biggest judge and will dispense judgement as due to her.”

    NANS PRO, Comrade Adeyemi Azeez, who spoke in Abeokuta, urged the Federal Government to probe how their promising colleagues were cut down prematurely.

    Adeyemi described the fate that befell the ‘FUOYE two’ as something akin to “planned assassination” and urged all students in Ekiti and beyond to remain calm as the national leadership of NANS would take all necessary and lawful steps to compel the government of Ekiti State tell Nigerian Students the motive behind the killing of their colleagues.

    He said: “We read yesterday with dismay, the reaction of the suspected assailant where she made baseless claims but for us as students and young people who have what it takes to fight her, considering the quantum of our population, we know that God almighty is the biggest Judge and will dispense judgement as due to her.

    “In fact, Ekiti people have coined a new name for the woman which is ‘ a woman with 9 mouths’ considering the spate at which she was telling lies through her release yesterday.

    “Firstly: the Ekiti first lady said she was in the hall when the student started rampaging and allegedly destroying people vehicle.

    “This statement is too sweet to be true; can such riot act be going on outside a hall to the extent that peoples vehicle were being damaged and the owners of the vehicles remained calm in the hall?

    “Secondly as the first lady, she claimed to remain in the hall while the damages were being done, why not address the students instead of ignoring them, if truly she wasn’t wishing and praying evil for the students.

    “If truly she regard the students as her children why not speak to them instead ordering the police to be ruthless with them.

    “Also, if truly you have a heart of gold you should be concerned about what happened to the students and not running away.

    “You and your husband have the state powers and as result should be able to restore normalcy to any uproar, that is why you were elected.

    “Her husband, who used to be one of our well respected elders in NANS, is also gradually losing our respect as he has not said anything since this crises started instead he is busy fighting for security votes.

    “If we have our way we would suggest that Ekiti state security vote be removed since the governor has not been making judicious use of the ones he has been collecting which is evident in his inability to secure our students.

    “We must however note that even if your security votes is increased to N5 billion on a monthly bases, we would not still surrender the lives of our students to you.

    “We however call on the federal government to probe this killing of our students in Ekiti as this can best be described as a ‘state planed assassination.

    “Even when the rich oppresses the poor in Nigeria, it is not done in the open but the reverse was the case of Mrs. Fayemi who threw two families into sorrow and gnashing of teeth without remorse.

    “And against the expectation of mothers, Erelu as fondly called, could still lie even when the lives of two promising young Nigerians were involved.

    “This pitiable situation which has been on between the rich and the poor might graduate into a revolt of the poor in this country.

    “Despite our respect for Governor Fayemi, his wife has successfully turned our backs against each other as we would not toy with the life of any of our students.”

  • FUOYE crisis: How I narrowly escaped death – Ekiti First Lady

    More startling revelations on how the convoy of wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, was attacked in Oye- Ekiti, the headquarters of Oye Local Government, have emerged.

    This followed a blow-by-blow account of Erelu Fayemi of how she narrowly escaped death unhurt.

    The governor’s wife was attacked by protesting students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) while on an empowerment and advocacy tour to engage with women in the local government.

    She was in the town in continuation of her tour across the state, which began from Moba Local Government and had visited Ilejemeje Local Government before arriving in Oye-Ekiti for the last leg of the tour.

    While narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Fayemi in a statement titled: ‘The September 10th Oye-Ekiti Incident: Setting the Record Straight” disclosed that FUOYE students and possibly infiltrated by local thugs barricaded Oye-Ikole-Omuo highway to prevent the convoy of the wife of the governor from passing with a view to expressing their displeasure about poor power supply in the town.

    She said her convoy was severely attacked by the protesting students with stones and cudgel until they escaped.

    Explaining how the incident happened, she said: “While we were at Ilejemeje, we received a call from our advance security team that FUOYE students were protesting lack of electricity in Oye town.

    “We were told that more information would be provided on the situation. Shortly after we received word that the students had dispersed and the coast was clear for my visit.

    “When my convoy got to the Oye-Isan junction, we were met by a convoy of excited Okada riders who led us into Oye town. We made a stop at the primary health care centre along the road for me to present delivery kits to expectant mothers.

    “There was no sign of any trouble. We proceeded to the venue of my town hall meeting at the civic centre with women in Oye Local Government. The atmosphere was very peaceful, the women were singing and dancing and there was nothing to indicate that anything was amiss.

    “I stopped at the tent erected for the mobile health clinic in front of the civic centre to greet the elderly patients who were being attended to, and I also went to greet the beneficiaries of the Food Bank for the elderly project (Ounje Arugbo), who were assembled under another tent. I then proceeded to the hall for the programme.”

    Erelu Fayemi added: “Half-way through our event, there was a disturbance outside. The FUOYE students (and possibly infiltrated by local thugs) had re-grouped and were trying to get into the venue. The security officers prevented this from happening.

    “We finished our programme, and by the time we got outside, we found that vehicles from my convoy and those of my guests that were parked outside the venue had been vandalised.

    “As we were driving out of Oye town, we encountered at least two roadblocks that the students had mounted to prevent the movement of vehicles. I could see students/thugs throwing stones and large sticks at us as we drove by.

    “However, the casualties that were recorded did not take place while I was there. There are eyewitnesses, photographs and video footage to confirm this.”

    Mrs. Fayemi, who expressed dismay over reports that the crisis occurred because she refused to address the protesting students, described the accusation as a monumental falsehood.

    She denied that she instructed security details attached to her to shoot protesting students, stressing that she didn’t come across protesting students while she was in Oye-Ekiti for an empowerment programme.

    Erelu Fayemi said she couldn’t have objected to civil protest being a human rights crusader and mother.

    She said: “I did not encounter any group of students when I got to Oye town. They had dispersed before my arrival, and when they regrouped I was at the venue.

    “It is possible, as I stated earlier, that the group that came to the venue trying to gain access with sticks and stones in hand might have included local hoodlums, but there was no way of telling the difference.

    “I am scandalised and shocked beyond words to hear that I instructed security officers to shoot at students.

    “If I had met a group of protesting students, as a social justice activist myself, I would have listened to their complaints and addressed them. I firmly believe in citizens’ rights to protest on issues of concern.

    “I am deeply saddened that at least one fatality has been recorded. As a mother my heart bleeds. All these students are my children, and no mother prays to weep over her offspring.”

    Fayemi’s wife, however, commiserated with the family concerned, wishing those who are still receiving treatment a speedy recovery.

    Police killed two FUOYE students – SUG President

    The President of the Student Union Government of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Oluwaseun Awodola, has narrated how policemen from the Ekiti State Police Command allegedly killed two students of the institution.

    He identified the deceased students as Oluwaseyi Kehinde, a 100-level student of Crop Science and Horticulture, and Joseph Okonofua, a 300-level student of Biology Education.

    The student leader said two others were injured and admitted to hospital.

    Awodola insisted that the police must be held accountable for the death of the students.

    The protest was said to have been staged against the blackout on the campus of the institution.

    The demonstration later degenerated, leading to the killing of the two students.

    The school management had issued a statement on Wednesday asking all students to vacate their hostels because the campus had been shut indefinitely.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, had claimed that the students attacked the convoy of the wife of the state governor, Bisi Fayemi.

    Ikechukwu also alleged that the students assaulted policemen and damaged a police vehicle.

    He denied that the police shot any student at the scene.

    However, the SUG president noted that the police were responsible for the death of the two students.

    Awodola explained that while Okonofua, aka Icon, was shot in the stomach, Kehinde, a class representative, was shot in the head.

  • FUOYE VC proscribes SUG as police deny killing students

    …announces indefinite closure

    The Ekiti Police Command on Wednesday debunked the claim that the police had killed some students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), who protested against epileptic power supply to the institution on Tuesday evening.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest had led to the suspension of the tour of the 16 local government areas by Mrs Bisi Fayemi, wife of Gov. Kayode Fayemi by one day, while the university authorities had announced the indefinite closure of the school.

    The institution’s authorities had proscribed the students union body, while the tour of the local councils by the governor’s wife continues on Sept. 12.

    DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, said, however, that he was not aware of any death emanating from the students protests.

    Ikechukwu described the death story in a statement he released in Ado-Ekiti as “baseless, unfounded and only intends to incite and create panic in the minds of the peace-loving people of Ekiti and the general public”.

    He noted that a weapon was recovered from one of the protesting students, adding that the quick intervention of the police at the scene prevented further damage to public and private properties.

    “The police officers at the scene pacified the protesting students, removed the blockade they erected and dispersed them peacefully.

    “However, the protesting students turned around in their numbers and took their plight to Her Excellency, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, the wife of Gov. Kayode Fayemi, who was at an empowerment programme in the town.

    “The protesting students suddenly became unruly, hostile and took laws into their hands, and vandalised the motorcade of the governors wife.

    “The protesting students did not stop at that, they also assaulted the policemen who were at the scene to maintain law and order, and damaged police vehicle found at the scene.

    “Investigation is ongoing to bring the perpetrators to book,” Ikechukwu said.

    Meanwhile, the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, on Wednesday announced the immediate closure of the institution and proscription of the Students’ Union Government (SUG).

    According to a statement by the institution, the unfortunate incident acted out by the students forced the authorities of the Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) to announce the immediate and indefinite closure of the university, to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

    “In the same vein, the students union of the institution is hereby disbanded indefinitely.

    “Following this closure, the students population are hereby ordered to vacate the university premises not later than 10.00 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2019.

    “Further developments will be communicated in due course,” the statement quoted the vice-chancellor as saying.

    The university condemned the violence that followed the protest by the students against the epileptic power supply to the community.

    “Our findings revealed that the students gathered themselves and blocked the Abuja-Ado and Ijan-Ikole highways from the early hours of Tuesday till about 2.00 p.m.

    “After much persuasions by the university ‘s internal security personnel and the federal security agencies, they dispersed.

    “Only for the news to get to the university authority thereafter that the students had assaulted the motorcade of Mrs Bisi Fayemi and vandalised some vehicles in the motorcade,” it said.

    “Sensing that her excellency was under attack, in view of the continued aggression of the students, the security personnel attached to her convoy had to repel the attack and some students were injured in the process.

    “In view of the foregoing, the management at an emergency meeting discussed and reviewed the unruly behaviour of the students.

    “Such behaviour, which included the destruction of vehicles and burning of a police van, as well as threat to lives, compelled the university management to take these urgent decisions.”

  • JUST IN: [Photo] Another injured FUOYE student dies

    JUST IN: [Photo] Another injured FUOYE student dies

    One of the injured students during a clash on Tuesday between Police and protesting students of Federal University Oye Ekiti (FUOYE) has been confirmed dead.

    The deceased, Okonofua Joseph aka Joseph Icon, was a 300- level student of department of Biology Education.

    He also doubled as the Social Director of Faculty of Education Students Association.

    According to reports, the Okonofua was shot by the police while walking on the streets.

    He was moved to the medical centre of the institution and transferred to Federal Medical Center, Ido, Ekiti State where he was later pronounced dead.

    Though he was initially responding to treatment, he was however said to have died in the early hours of Wednesday.

    The Students Union President, Oluwaseun Awodola, confirmed the development on Wednesday.

    But the University’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Godfrey Bakje, was yet to respond to an SMS request for confirmation.

    His death brings to two the numbers of students killed during the protest while several injured are receiving treatment.

    Police operatives have been deployed to Oye and Ikole campuses of the institution, which has been shut down indefinitely.